


How To Lose A Cat In 10 Days

by SinkOrFly



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: AU, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Kinda, how to lose a guy in 10 days, romcom, supercat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2019-01-17 09:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12362622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SinkOrFly/pseuds/SinkOrFly
Summary: Kara Danvers works for Composure, one of National City's biggest magazines. A series of events inspire her to write an article titled "How to Lose a Partner in 10 Days", where she will start dating someone and eventually drive them away using classic mistakes people make in relationships.After Cat Grant's mother says she's worried Cat is unlovable, Cat accepts a challenge. She has 10 days to find someone and make them fall in love with her.It's either serendipity or plain misfortune that makes Cat and Kara find each other.





	1. Serendipity or Misfortune?

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I got the idea for this - my first SuperCat fic - whilst rewatching How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. Maybe it's because Andie Anderson is a journalist in the film, but I could just really envision Kara and Cat whilst I was watching, so... this is what happened.  
> This is inspired by the film and will have some of the events of the film in it, but I am going to put my own SuperCat twist on it. Hope you enjoy.

If Cat Grant knows her mother as well as she thinks she does, then there is an ulterior motive behind this phone call.

See, Katherine Grant doesn't just  _call_  her daughter out of the blue. Not for a catch-up, not to check that Cat and Carter are OK, sometimes not even to wish them a happy birthday at the appropriate time of year. It just doesn't happen. There's always a self-serving purpose hidden somewhere, which is why, when Katherine calls late one Monday morning, Cat can practically count down the seconds until that purpose comes to light.

Pleasantries are exchanged and then...

_3, 2, 1._

_"Now, Kitty,_ please _tell me that you're bringing a date to my wedding."_

There it is.

Despite knowing exactly what her mother means by 'date', Cat answers, "Yes, mother, of course I am. A dashing young man with gorgeous brown curls and-"

 _"_ Not  _your son,_ " Katherine interrupts. Cat sighs heavily as the inevitable denouncing begins. _"Honestly, Kitty, it's embarrassing that every time I hold a social event you either come alone, or with your child. When was the last time you brought an actual date to one of these things?"_

"Need I remind you that I brought Colin Firth to your book launch?"

_"That was three years ago."_

OK, so Cat hadn't realised that it had been quite so long, but still.

It's not like she never goes on dates; she goes on plenty. But she can't bring just anyone home to meet Carter for fear he will get attached to them and become collateral damage if (when) things end badly. Because that's what will happen: any relationship Cat creates will crash and burn. The passion will die, they'll fall out of love, she'll come home to find him in bed with the nanny...

And this is why Cat hates it when her mother calls: she's reminded of all the miserable periods of her life.

Cat looks through the glass doors to her office, trying to make eye contact with her personal assistant, Eve Teschmacher, to signal her need for Lexapro. Stat. Of course, in an ideal world, Cat's assistant would know as soon as she forwarded a call from Cat's mother through to her boss that the CEO would be in need of a pill or two soon. But, alas, this is not the case. Eve is obliviously typing away at her computer and doesn't look up to see her boss' silent plea.

Cat lets her head fall against the back of her chair and spins so she's facing her balcony.

_"I just don't understand how you've turned out this way, Kitty. The children of all of my friends are now happily married with children, whereas you're a fifty-year-old single mother with four ex-husbands under your belt."_

"Well, isn't this the pot calling the kettle black?  _You're_  a single mother with  _seven_ ex-husbands under you're belt. Soon to be eight."

 _"Don't be silly. Kevin is The One, I can feel it."_  Cat rolls her eyes, knowing Katherine said the same thing about the other poor, unfortunate souls she somehow fooled into marrying her. _"Besides, at least I've never given up trying to find happiness. I've persisted, and now look at me: I'm marrying the love of my life at the age of seventy-two."_

"I haven't given up, mother," Cat says through gritted teeth. "I go on dates, though things never get far enough for me to even  _consider_  introducing them to my son."

_"You're just not trying hard enough. You're too intolerant of other peoples' flaws."_

Cat shakes her head incredulously, finally asking. "Why, pray tell, does it even matter to you who I'm dating? I'm perfectly happy the way I am. Shouldn't that be enough for you?"

" _It would be, except my friends, all of whom are socialites and whose respect you should desire, are going to start thinking that you're some sort of unlovable creature, Kitty, and what does that say about my parenting skills? They're going to start wondering where_ I _went wrong, when in actual fact, I was a good mother! I'm not going to let them think poorly of me just because you have a heart of stone."_

Cat almost snorts. The fact that her mother thinks that she did nothing wrong as a parent is frankly laughable. If not for her father, Cat would have practically raised herself seeing as her mother was absent for most of her childhood. There was always something more pressing than Cat's first day of school, or Cat's dance recital, or Cat's high school graduation.

Screw the Lexapro, Cat needs some scotch.

"I don't have a heart of stone, mother. Just because I prioritise my work and my son-"

_"Well, that's what's going to make you die alone, Kitty."_

Cat rears back, shocked at the blunt statement that just came from her own mother's mouth. "I'm not going to die alone-"

_"Aren't you?"_

"No! Even if I never remarry, I have Adam and Carter. They're all I need."

_"Ah yes, the son who lives at the other side of the country, and the son who is going to grow up, make a family of his own and realise he doesn't need his workaholic mother who always cared more about her job than providing a stable home for him."_

More hypocrisy, but Cat ignores it, too vexed at her mother's words regarding her priorities. "That is not true! How dare you say that? The reason that I haven't brought anyone home to meet Carter is not because I don't want him to be in a stable home; it's because I will settle for nothing but the best for my boy."

 _"So you_ are  _the problem then? Honestly, dear, you're never going to find someone if you keep acting this way. Your standards are impossibly high, especially for someone like you. You spend all of your time in your office, running your so-called 'media empire'; you think you're better than everyone else because of the power you hold in your occupation, which puts off any potential suitors; you scare away anyone who does manage to get even a little bit close to you by being bossy and domineering. I hate to say it, but I fear you may be unlovable outside of the unconditional love your family give you."_

Cat clenches her jaw, equal parts hurt and annoyed at her mother's words. "I could make someone fall in love with me," she says confidently. "Just because I push away the people who I don't think are good enough for me or my son, it doesn't mean that I couldn't make  _them_  love  _me_."

 _"Then why don't you prove it? If it's so easy, then make someone fall in love with you and bring them as a date to my wedding in 10 days. It doesn't have to last any longer than that; you can end it if you don't think they're worthy of the great Catherine Grant,"_  Cat can  _hear_  her mother's eye roll.  _"But help to reassure me that there is still hope for you."_

"Fine," Cat (stupidly) agrees. "I'll see you in 10 days,  _with_  a date. Now, is that all you wanted? I have a media empire to get back to."

Cat barely waits for her mother to say goodbye before she slams her phone down. She takes a moment to close her eyes and take a breath, wondering what on earth she's agreed to. Why, after all this time and after everything she's achieved, she's still so desperate for her mother's approval is beyond her.

Yet she wants to prove her mother wrong; wants to prove that she is capable of being loved. And she has ten days to do it. But first, "Teschmacher! I need Advil!"

* * *

Kara bites the edge of her thumbnail as she waits for her sister to finish reading through the sheets of paper. They're in Noonan's which is just starting to quiet down as they reach the end of rush hour, but Kara doesn't pay any notice to the movement around her. She doesn't look up when the couple at the next table stand and leave, she doesn't look up when a waiter places plates of food on the table behind Alex, she barely even glances when that same waiter knocks over a glass of water onto the lap of a patron.

She watches only her sister, anxiously awaiting Alex's reaction.

She moves her hand away from her mouth when Alex finishes reading. "This is great," Alex says in that voice that tells Kara there's a 'but' coming. Kara's heart sinks prematurely, before her sister even has the chance to add, "But you know Lena is never going to let you publish this."

Kara groans as her sister drops the printed copy of an article headlined 'Why The People Of Bhutan Are The Happiest In The World' and bylined 'Kara Danvers' onto the table in front of her. She'd put so much work into the article, had garnished it with facts and figures and reliable sources, only to be told what she knew all along: that her boss, Lena Luthor, won't publish  _anything_  that isn't about fashion, trends, diets, cosmetic surgeries, or salacious gossip.

"I've worked so hard," Kara whines, resting her head in her hands, elbows on the table. "I went to college, I went to grad school. When I got a job at  _Composure_ , one of the  _best_  magazines in National City, I thought I'd made it. But now I'm a 'how to...' girl. The last column I had published was 'How to tell your best friend you're in love with them'. Before that, it was 'How to tell if he  _really_  likes you'. It's all so shallow and unimportant. I want to write about things that  _matter_ , like politics, foreign affairs, the environment. Is that too much to ask?"

Alex looks at her with soft, sympathetic eyes. "Keep working hard," she instructs. "Keep writing the best articles possible with the crappy topics that Lena gives to you, and eventually it will all pay off. You'll get your promotion and be able to write about whatever you want, including why the people of Bhutan are so damn happy."

Kara smiles weakly, grateful for her sister's advice but still fed up. She's wanted to be an award-winning journalist since joined the school's newspaper when she was fifteen; has wanted to be someone who influences people and makes a difference. Not someone who tells middle-aged women how to get a boy toy like Madonna. It can be disheartening to be so close yet so far away from your dream, but Kara tries to be optimistic and tells herself that many successful people have had to start at the bottom and work their way up. She will just have to be one of those people.

Besides, it's not like she isn't making a difference in other areas of her life. She  _is_  Supergirl, after all.

"Where's Winn?" Alex asks, glancing at her watch. "He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago."

Kara lifts her head and looks around the room. Now that Alex has mentioned it, it is strange that Winn isn't here yet.

She frowns and reaches for her phone. "I'll call-"

As if on cue, the door to Noonan's opens and Winn enters, though something's wrong. He's  _pouting_ , looking downtrodden in a way that isn't dissimilar to the way Kara looked after Alex told her her article wouldn't get published. He glances around until he spots Alex and Kara, looks down and wordlessly crosses the room, then slumps down in the spot next to Kara

The sisters share a worried glance before Kara asks gently, "Everything OK, Winn?"

Winn shakes his head, blinking rapidly as though trying not to cry. "Lyra broke up with me."

"What?" Kara asks in surprise. Winn had been so excited about his new girlfriend that he had barely stopped talking about her all week. He had texted her all day every day, had left work early to visit her, had bought her gifts, had said she was The One, had...  _oh_.

 _He's done it again,_  Kara thinks.  _Scared away another one._

"I don't get it," Winn says, mystified. "Things were going so well, and then she stopped answering my texts, she didn't return my calls. I left her eleven voicemails -  _eleven -_  but she never got back to me. I went over to her apartment this morning, and that's when she told me that she wanted-" Winn pauses, covering his mouth with his hand and swallowing thickly. "To end things," he finally finishes, voice breaking.

It breaks Kara's heart to see her friend get hurt over and over again, but Winn just gets overexcited when he starts new relationships and can be a little full on without realising.

"Oh, Winn, I'm so sorry." Kara rubs his arm soothingly.

"I loved her!" Winn states. "I told her so yesterday. How could she do this when she knows that I love her?"

"Weren't you only dating for, like, a week?" Alex asks awkwardly.

"Ten days," Winn corrects, as if it makes a world of difference. "And it might seem fast to some people, but Lyra and I  _connected_. Not just mentally or emotionally; on a physical level too. I mean, the first time we slept together, I cried."

"You cried?" Kara echoes, cringing.

"It was just so beautiful," Winn says, tearing up again.

"Have you ever thought that, maybe, when you start a relationship, you can kinda, sometimes come on a little too strong?" Alex suggests as delicately as she can.

"A little too strong?" Winn repeats. "Well, pardon me for being excited about finding my potential soulmate."

"I just mean that the constant phone calls, declaring your love for someone after just a few days, it can be a bit too much for some people. You scare them away before they get to see what a sweet, funny guy you are."

"That's not the reason she broke up with me," Winn says decidedly. "It's because, look at me." He waves a hand at himself. "I'm ugly. No one wants to be with someone like me."

"You're not ugly," Alex says at the same time that Kara assures him, "You're so handsome, Winn. That's not why she broke up with you."

"It is," Winn insists. "If someone who looked like Kara did what I did, people would still kill to be with her. Kara could throw up on someone and they'd want to be with her."

Alex and Kara both wrinkle their noses in disgust, but then Alex gets an idea and sits up straighter. "I know what we can do," she says. "How To Lose a Partner In 10 Days."

"What?" Kara and Winn say in unison, glancing at each other in confusion.

"Winn just said that if you acted like he did at the beginning of a relationship, then it wouldn't matter. So, prove him wrong. Find someone, start to date them, then turn totally crazy and drive them away; prove to Winn that he needs to tone down his approach a little," Alex explains. "While you're doing it, you can make notes and turn it into an article, like a reverse how-to. So many people get too excited at the beginning of a relationship and end up scaring their partner away, so you could do all the things you  _shouldn't_  do, like being too clingy and calling excessively, and write it all down to be published in  _Composure_. It's original, Lena will love it, and it might get you that promotion you're after. It's a win-win. And you can call it 'How To Lose A Partner In 10 Days'."

"Why 10 days?" Kara asks.

"That's how long Winn and Lyra were together."

Kara nods. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea, actually. It could be fun. Though does it have to start today? It's Clark's birthday party tonight."

"That's even better!" Alex exclaims. "It's the perfect place to meet someone."

Kara mulls it over, smiles and reaches for her bag. "I'm sorry, guys, I have to go speak to Lena and see if she'll let me run with this. I'll see you later."

* * *

Lena gives the all clear. She thinks it's a great idea and says the readers will love it. She even alludes to giving Kara that promotion if she pulls it off well.

It's a lot of pressure for Kara, especially since Lena said that the magazine goes to press in 10 days so it's imperative that Kara really does find a guy/girl and lose them before then. Kara has never had a problem meeting deadlines before - she has super-speed, which helps - but usually her work only relies on herself. Now she's got to find someone, lure them in, flip the switch and convince  _them_  to break up with her. She's dependent on someone else and she can't use her superpowers to help her.

But it's only when she's in the elevator with Alex on her way to the top floor of the building in Metropolis where her cousin's birthday party is taking place that she starts to get nervous. She doesn't know how she's going to pull this off, and the dark blue cocktail dress that Alex has made her wear, claiming that it makes her look hot as hell and will get her a date in no time, is too tight and short for her to be even minutely comfortable.

"Would you stop doing that?" Alex hisses, referring to Kara tugging the bottom of her dress to try and make it longer. "You need someone to find you sexy tonight, and that is  _not_  sexy."

"But I feel like everyone can see my ass," Kara argues, giving one last tug at the back.

"Well, they can't, so stop."

The elevator doors open, revealing the room where the party is taking place. It's crowded; filled with men in suits and women in dresses (and a few suits), everyone holding drinks and mingling. Kara didn't know Clark Kent even knew this many people, but chances are that Lois Lane planned the party and invited all of Clark's friends, plus anybody who's a somebody. Famous faces draw attention, and Lois likes to stay in the spotlight. But there are so many people that Kara doesn't even know where to begin when it comes to finding a date and she has to swallow down her nerves.

"Keep your eyes on the prize tonight, Kara. The promotion that you've been working so hard for is at stake here, don't forget that." Alex is trying to be encouraging, but her words make Kara shake her head and step backwards.

"I can't do this."

"You can!" Alex takes her hand, pulls her over to the edge of the room. "You attract guys all the time, everywhere you go. Tonight isn't going to be any different, but instead of rejecting them because they're not your type, all you have to do is say yes. All you're agreeing to is a date, it doesn't have to go any further. And you're not even going to be the one to end it;  _he_  is because you're going to go all psycho on him. Honestly, you got this, Kara. I know you do."

"There you are!" The sisters turn when they hear Clark coming to join them. "I started to think you weren't coming."

"I wouldn't miss this," Kara says honestly. "Happy Birthday, cuz." She wraps an arm around Clark's back and buries into his side, mindful of the drink he's holding in his opposite hand.

"Thanks. Didn't you say Winn was coming with you?" Clark glances around at nearby faces for any sign of the IT guy.

"He was going to, but he didn't really feel up to it."

"He's going through a break-up," Alex explains.

"Another one?" Clark winces. "Is he OK?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Kara says, stepping away from her cousin. "He's upset, of course, but he'll survive."

"Poor guy." Clark shakes his head as though in disappointment. "And how are you two?"

"Good," Alex answers, at the same time that Kara says, "Nervous."

Clark frowns and looks between them suspiciously. "Why are you nervous? Is there something I should know about?"

"No," Kara mumbles. "It's a long story. You just enjoy your birthday."

"Ok..." Clark narrows his eyes at the sisters for a second, still suspicious, but he spots someone exiting the elevator a moment later who makes him forget all about it. "Jimmy's here! I should go say hi, but I'll catch you later."

As Clark leaves, Kara stops a nearby waiter carrying a tray of champagne flutes and takes one for herself. Alcohol may not have an effect on her, but it still comforts her somewhat to have it in her hand. Alex also takes one, then turns to Kara.

"Anyone in here caught your eye?" she asks.

Kara glances around but shakes her head. "Not yet."

"There's a guy over there checking you out," Alex nods towards the edge of the room, where a young-ish man is leaning against the wall, staring at Kara's legs with a lecherous half-smile. "You could go say hi."

Kara pulls a face and turns away from him. "He only wants sex. I'm not willing to sleep with anyone for this promotion, and he probably wouldn't call me again anyway. That would make for a crappy article."

"What about him?" Alex nods to a man standing at the bar waiting to be served. "He's young, handsome, looks nice enough. He's glanced over here a couple of times, looking at your  _face_. He seems promising."

Kara considers, sips her drink, and nods determinedly. "Wish me luck," she says, before heading over to the man at the bar.

* * *

The night has been a  _disaster_.

It turned out, the man at the bar had been gay and had only been staring at Kara because he thought she was someone else. After that, Kara had met a man in his thirties, spoken to him for the better part of an hour before he casually mentioned his  _wife_. Then she had been hit on by a woman so drunk that she had to excuse herself to throw up in a potted plant.

Now, Kara is with a man called Derek who seems like the perfect candidate. Normal, pleasant, available. They've talked about how they each know Clark and how they're both from pretty small families. Kara thinks she's found the ideal participant, and then Derek says... "Seeing as you and your sister aren't biologically related, would you ever consider a threesome?"

Kara's eyes widen and she feels her cheeks flushing crimson. "N- No! That's..." She fumbles with her glasses, shaking her head and feeling disgusted that he would even ask that. "I have to go."

Kara turns around, deciding that she is  _done_. No one in this whole party is just normal and nice and single. No one would even be tolerable to fake-date for ten days, and Kara can't talk to half of them without feeling the need to go through a decontamination shower afterwards.

Two hours at the party and Kara has had enough. She storms towards the elevators, so desperate to leave that she decides she'll text Alex to say she's left once she gets downstairs instead of looking for her, and in such a haste that she forgets she's carrying a glass of champagne until she bumps shoulders with the person leaving the elevator, causing the liquid to splash out of the glass and all over the woman's dress.

"Oh my gosh," Kara looks at the dress, maroon and expensive-looking and with a huge wet mark all down one side. "I- I- I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going and-" She turns to where a small table sits beside the elevator and puts her now-empty glass on there, then rummages through her clutch, where she always carries tissues. "I'll pay to get this dry-cleaned," she vows, dabbing the wet splotch with the tissue, because you're supposed to dab, not rub, right? Kara dabs away until she realises she's practically  _groping_  the woman because that's her  _breast_.

She yanks her hand away as though she received a shock. "I'm sorry!" she says again, finally looking at the woman's face and seeing... "Oh golly." Kara adjusts her glasses, even more horrified now. "You're Cat Grant."

* * *

So what if Cat isn't technically  _invited_  to Clark Kent's birthday party? She would have been if not for Lois Lane's hatred of her and Clark's kind of sweet, kind of pathetic need to keep his woman happy at all times.

Besides, if Lois doesn't want just anyone turning up, then she shouldn't have put pictures of herself decorating the venue on Instagram, with the window behind her clearly showing a street in Metropolis. It wouldn't have taken a genius to be able to locate the building. Cat recognises the street outside from her days working at the Daily Planet, but even if she hadn't, anyone has access to Google Maps. But from the crowd of people outside the venue when Cat arrives, she knows that this was completely intentional on Lois' part. She wanted to create a buzz, make it seem like she's throwing an exclusive, invite-only party for her husband's birthday. And she succeeded.

As for how Cat gets into the building without an invitation? That's easy. She's Cat Grant, Queen of All Media. The man at the door doesn't even  _try_  to stop her from sauntering over to the elevator and pressing the button for the top floor.

Originally, Cat hadn't been planning on making an appearance at the party. While she may have a soft spot for Clark Kent, it's just not worth having to see Lois Lane's pretentious face in order to see him.

But with her mother's wedding in ten days and her bet that she'd be able to make someone fall in love with her before then, she doesn't have time to waste. She needs to find someone to date, like,  _yesterday,_ and with Carter at his father's for the week while his school is on vacation, Cat finally has the opportunity to go out without feeling guilty about leaving him. What better place to meet someone than at a party, where it's guaranteed there will be a lot of people?

And what better place than  _Clark Kent's_  party, where he may have an attractive sibling or cousin or friend in attendance?

She's already fashionably late, and hopes she'll be able to get out of there as quickly as possible. Less chance of bumping into Lois that way.

The elevator doors open and Cat lifts her head up high, straightens her spine and sweeps into the party venue, always liking to make an entrance.

Unfortunately for her, she doesn't see the woman on a mission striding towards the elevator from the left, who barrels into her before she has chance to react. Cat gasps and stumbles backwards from the force of the impact, then feels a cool liquid seep through her dress and reach her skin. She looks down to see a champagne flute in the woman's hands, empty now that its contents are staining her dress.

She grits her teeth, ready to launch into a rant about how the woman should have watched where she was going and how this dress probably costs more than that woman's monthly rent, but then she actually  _sees_  the woman and...

Blonde hair scraped into a bun, adorable/sexy glasses, cool blue eyes, a tiny scar on her forehead, the cutest look of horror that Cat has ever seen. Her anger dissipates on the spot.

"Oh my gosh," the woman breathes, staring wide-eyed at Cat's dress. "I- I- I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going and-" Cat watches the woman put her empty glass on a small table, then rummage through her clutch. Before Cat even knows what the woman retrieves from there, she's being patted on the chest. "I'll pay to get this dry-cleaned," the woman promises, and Cat raises an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at her lips as she realises the woman is using tissues to pat her dry. Her expression turns from amused to surprised when the woman pats a little higher so that she's touching her left breast.

It takes a moment for the woman to realise where she's touching, but when she does she launches backwards so fast that she practically turns into a blur for a second. She flushes an adorable pink and exclaims, "I'm sorry!" finally looking up and seeing Cat's face. The woman seems to recognise her immediately; seems to go pale when she realises who she's spilt her drink on and who she just felt up. "Oh golly. You're Cat Grant."

"The one and only," Cat confirms, allowing her eyes to flow over to woman in front of her. Slim and tall and gorgeous, with long legs poking out from a blue dress which  _really_  makes her eyes pop. 'Young' is another adjective that springs to mind, but she's not so young that she's incapable of making her own decisions. Not so young that it would be inappropriate for Cat to engage in some harmless flirting. "This hardly seems fair. You know my name, but all  _I_  know about  _you_  is that you like throwing drinks around... and that blue is most certainly your colour." Again, her eyes trail appreciatively over the girl's dress.

After looking down at herself and blushing slightly, the woman fiddles with her glasses and says, "Uh... I'm Kara. Kara Danvers."

Cat holds out her hand. "Well, Kara Kara Danvers, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Despite the fact that the joke is unoriginal and just  _awful_ , Kara emits a quiet giggle and takes Cat's hand in her own. "You too, though I wish it were under better circumstances."

Being a CEO, Cat has had to shake hands with many people. Some people have squeezed her hand to the point of pain, others have limply placed their hands in hers making it feel like she's shaking a dead fish; some people have hands as cold as ice, some have hands that are warm and clammy; some have greasy hands, some have hands so dry they feel like sandpaper. Most have hands that have Cat reaching for antibacterial hand sanitiser before they've even left the room.

Kara Danvers has hands that are warm, but not sweaty. Soft, but not greasy. Firm, but not bone-crushing. Kara Danvers has a handshake that Cat respects, and instead of letting the younger woman's hand go at the first possible opportunity, she uses their joined hands to pull their bodies a little closer together.

"Maybe I was in the right place at the right time," Cat proposes. Kara lets her eyes flicker to the champagne on Cat's dress, then tilts her head to the side with a confused frown. "See, I didn't really want to come to this party in the first place," Cat confides in a low voice. "And now I have the perfect reason to leave. I can hardly walk around in a stained dress all evening."

"Oh," Kara seems unsure, but hesitantly says, "Then... you're welcome?"

Cat smiles. This girl is cute without even realising it. She could watch her all day... she'll settle for the next hour or two though. "Not so fast. You see, you  _did_  ruin a $5000 Alexander McQueen. You may be getting me out of an undesirable evening, but I still think you owe me, don't you?"

Kara's eyes open comically wide as she looks down at the ruined dress. "Gee, Miss Grant, I'm sorry, but I don't think I have that kind of money."

"I don't want your money, Kara," Cat says, amused. "I just need to get home."

"Oh," Kara's brow furrows again. "So, you... do you want me to call you a cab?"

Cat tilts her head to the side in a manner that borders on patronising. "No, honey." She smiles, rubs her thumb over the back of Kara's hand. "I live in National City, which is at least an hour's drive from Metropolis. Do you really want me to go all that way alone?" She looks up at Kara through her eyelashes, but the girl still doesn't seem to get the damn hint. Cat rolls her eyes. "Honestly, Kara, attractiveness is only going to get you so far in life. You need to use that brain of yours. Would you like to accompany me to my home?"

Kara seems surprised somehow. "Oh! I... uh... you want me to come home with you?"

"I would like you to ride with me in my car," Cat nods. "Who knows, if that goes well, I might invite you inside. Would you care to join me?"

Kara hesitates, adjusts her glasses, opens her mouth, closes her mouth, releases a long breath, turns to look over her shoulder, adjusts her glasses again. Cat drops the blonde's hand and is about to retract her offer, not having the patience to deal with someone who clearly doesn't want her attention, but then Kara looks at her and says, "Yes?"

Cat cocks her hip to the side and rests a hand on it. "Not to sound like too much like a clichéd schoolteacher, but are you asking me or telling me?"

"T- Telling." Kara states, confident apart from the stutter.

Cat drops any flirtatious air she had created and looks at the younger woman seriously. "Kara, I'm not pressuring you. If you don't want to come, then all you have to do is say so." She wants to make that clear, seeing as Kara seems nervous and unsure and a little too much like the kind of person who would agree to things just because they don't want to seem impolite by saying no.

Kara thinks about it for a second, properly considers instead of nervously struggling for an answer. She looks over her shoulder again, glances around the room as though looking for someone who, in the end, she doesn't find. She turns back to Cat with more certainty. "I want to come."

Cat smiles and holds her arm out for the younger blonde to link hers through. "Come along, Kara."

* * *

Cat's driver picks them up around five minutes after she calls him. He hadn't had the chance to get very far in the short time that Cat had been at the party, but he doesn't question why she's coming home so soon, and he doesn't blink twice when Kara climbs in the car behind her. Cat pays him enough not to ask questions, but it's nice to be reminded that her privacy is respected by some people.

They drive for around ten minutes in silence. Kara looks out of the window, her hands wringing together nervously, while Cat watches her with mild concern. She doesn't want to make the younger woman uncomfortable and wonders if she's made a mistake inviting her along.

But it's only a car ride, Cat reminds herself. Perfectly innocent.

She watches Kara's hands twisting in her lap for a few more minutes before gently reaching out and settling one of her own over the top of them, stopping their movements. Kara snaps her head towards her, first surprised, then questioning.

"I don't want you to get a friction burn," Cat explains, only half teasing. Kara just smiles and swallows, but doesn't move her hands from under Cat's. "So," Cat says conversationally, attempting to put the woman at ease. "How do you know Clark Kent?"

"He's my cousin."

Cat raises an eyebrow, remembering finally why she had been at the party in the first place (to find someone who would fall in love with her), and what she had thought on her way in (maybe Clark would have an attractive sibling or  _cousin_  or friend). He certainly has an attractive cousin. Come to think of it, Kara would be the perfect date to take to her mother's wedding. Beautiful, impressionable, young enough that it will drive Katherine insane (which Cat would delight in), female (which would also drive Katherine insane - she said it was 'just a phase' when Cat had a girlfriend in college).

But, of course, Cat wouldn't prey on a girl so nervous to just sit in a car with her. She's not that predatory.

Still, Cat says, as un-seductively as she can, "Clearly your family has good genes."

"I guess?" Kara blushes and looks down.

"You seem nervous," Cat states. "I didn't mean to make you feel that way, though you need to learn to speak up for yourself, Kara. How was I supposed to know that you didn't want to-"

"Oh, no, it's not you, Miss Grant," Kara is quick to assure her. "It's just... a work thing."

"A work thing?" Cat echoes. She sighs, not unkindly. "Would you care to unload this 'work thing'? If it will make you feel better, I don't mind you talking to me about it. We've still got at least 45 minutes until we reach National City, we might as well use our time productively. First of all, where do you work?"

" _Composure_  magazine."

Cat feigns offence. "You work for CatCo's competition? I mean,  _Composure_  is hardly the type of magazine that one would go to to catch up on current events, but in a society where trashy celebrity gossip is what sells copies, frightfully enough,  _Composure_   _is_  one of CatCo's main competitors."

" _Composure_  is the world's fastest-growing women's magazine," Kara says defensively, then smiles and pushes a few shorter strands of hair that have come loose from her bun behind her ear. "It wasn't my first choice, though. I actually had an interview at CatCo a few years ago; right after I left grad school. I was hoping to be your assistant."

Cat narrows her eyes, studies Kara more carefully. "I don't remember you, and somehow, I don't think you're the kind of person I would forget."

"Well, I never had the chance to meet you," Kara informs her. "I was told to leave right before my time slot. Something about you not wanting to see any more millennials."

Cat smirks. "Right." She doesn't remember the specific day that Kara is talking about, but it certainly sounds like something she would say. "Anyway, so you work for  _Composure_. This is good, I have a little experience in the media world," she understates. "What's the problem that's got you so uncomfortable?"

"Well, I write the ' _How to..._ ' column, but... it's not what I want to do in the long-term. I want to write about things that matter, not things like 'How to get an ass like Kim K.'

"Understandable."

"My boss - Lena Luthor - said that if I do things her way for a while, prove myself to be a capable journalist, then I'll be promoted and be able to write about whatever I want. She's recently given me an article to write and told me that, if I do it well, I might finally get my promotion, but... I don't know if I'm going to be able to do it."

"Why not? Lack of talent? Lack of inspiration? Goes against your moral code?"

"A bit of the first one and a bit of the last one. I've realised that it's going to be harder than I thought, and I've realised that this is actually going to  _affect_  someone, and I don't think I'm comfortable with that."

Cat sighs and squeezes Kara's hand. "Kara, do you really think that I got to where I am today by being nice all the time? Every successful person has had to make the decision at some point about whether they're going to put themselves first, or other people. We've all had to do something that might have a negative impact on someone else, but will help ourselves. Sometimes you have to play dirty, be a little underhanded. We do it though because, at the end of the day, we believe it's for the greater good. If you do go ahead with this article, then you won't be the first person who's put their career first. But at the same time, you have to consider whether or not you'll be able to live with yourself. If you think that what you're doing is so awful that you won't be able to look in the mirror after it, then it's just not worth it. You just have to decide whether you think the pros outweigh the cons."

Kara chews on her lip and looks out of the window thoughtfully. She's like that for a few minutes, seeming so deep within her own mind that Cat doubts the younger woman would hear her if she spoke. Eventually, she turns back to Cat with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Miss Grant."

"Has your inner turmoil been resolved?"

"I think it has."

"Are you going to go through with the article?"

"Yes."

Cat smiles. "Good. I like a girl who rises to the occasion."

Kara, again, blushes and looks down, but the smile that breaks out across her lips can't be hidden that easily. "I don't regret it, you know."

"Don't regret what?"

"Ruining your dress." Kara nods to the champagne stain. "I mean, I feel bad of course, but I don't regret it. I got to meet one of my heroes because of it. You're a God in the journalism world and I've looked up to since, like, forever. Also, it wound up with me being in the same car as the most beautiful CEO in the country."

"I'm just the most beautiful  _CEO?_  That's not much of a compliment seeing as most CEOs are either old, balding or overweight. Or all three."

Kara looks to the side and nods as if to say 'fair point'. "Alright. The most beautiful  _woman_  in the country."

Cat turns to look out of the window, pretending to still be displeased. "Just the country? Alright..."

Kara laughs. "OK, OK, the universe!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Kara," Cat shakes her head in mock disappointment. "There's no way that you could possibly know that, unless you've done some interplanetary travel that I don't know about?"

After that joke, Kara is quiet for so long that Cat turns to look at her to make sure she hasn't passed out of something. But no, she's fine, albeit staring at her with eyes slightly wider than would be considered normal. "Pfft," Kara scoffs. "What? No! Of course not. That's... That would be... impossible." The younger woman looks down for a second; looks at Cat's hand which is still resting gently on top of her own. She removes one of her hands from the bottom of the pile and puts it on the top, beginning to fiddle with a ring on Cat's finger. "I just meant that you're absolutely stunning and I don't think it's possible for anyone to look better than you. I presume you're the most beautiful woman in the universe, although I obviously can't know for certain. You're the most beautiful woman in  _my_  universe though."

Cat doesn't know whether to cringe at the cheesiness of that last sentence, or melt at the sweetness of it. She goes with somewhere in-between. "Oh my. Kara Danvers, are you flirting with me?"

Kara flushes deeper than she has so far this evening. "Maybe."

Cat looks at her fondly. "How long do you think I'll be able to do that?"

"What?"

"Make you blush so adorably."

Kara, predictably, flushes slightly. "You're the great Cat Grant. So long as you keep saying nice things about me, I think you'll be able to make me blush."

That morning, Cat's mother had sarcastically called her 'the great Catherine Grant'. Now, Kara is calling her 'the great Cat Grant' with no sarcasm, no mocking.

Cat smiles and looks out of the window. She thinks she's found the perfect person who she can make fall in love with her in 10 days.

* * *

Kara hadn't actually planned on going into Cat's apartment, not wanting Cat to get the wrong impression and think she's looking for a one night stand. But Kara drank a lot of champagne at Clark's party, and even though she's Supergirl, she needs to pee just like anyone else. By the time the car pulls up outside Cat's building (which happened to be closer than Kara's), she bouncing up and down like a child.

Cat leads them through the building and to the elevator, with Kara following so closely and so impatiently that she's practically stepping on the CEO's heels. She really wishes that she could just use her powers to fly speedily to the nearest bathroom and relieve herself, yet obviously that's not possible.

And of course Cat lives in the penthouse, meaning the elevator ride is literally as long as possible. Kara is dangerously close to wetting herself when they finally make it into the Grant apartment and Cat points the way to the nearest bathroom. Kara throws her clutch onto the kitchen counter and rushes as fast as a human would be able to, having to put a lot of effort into  _not_  using her super speed.

When she emerges a couple of minutes later and makes her way back to the kitchen, which is where Cat had been when she'd rushed away, she finds the room empty. She uses her super hearing to try to locate the older woman, and hears her rustling around in a room down the hall. Her bedroom, maybe? Kara doesn't go to look, instead wandering into the living room, where she's greeted by huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

Awestruck by the incredible view of National City, she walks over to the windows to get a better look. So many lights, so many lives going on all in one place. It never ceases to amaze Kara, even if she has flown over this city dozens of times.

Another thing that Kara finds amazing is that she is currently standing in _Cat Grant's_  apartment. It's insane, unbelievable, incomprehensible... not as incomprehensible as what Kara is going to do though.

See, she had gone to Clark's party with the intention of finding a lucky person to use for her How To Lose A Partner In 10 Days article. She had thought that she was leaving unsuccessfully, but then Cat had come along and...

It would be absurd. To lure in a woman like Cat Grant and then drive her away by acting insane. But, then again, Cat seems like the perfect person to choose. Cat is unobtainable to someone like Kara. Even if they did go on a date, it would never last much longer. Cat can do a million times better, and she probably knows it, so she won't hesitate in breaking up with Kara the minute that Kara acts a little loopy. It will make Kara's job that much easier.

Choosing one of the most powerful women in the country seems like a ridiculous thing for Kara to do, but Cat herself had said that sometimes successful people have to make difficult decisions for the greater good.

The pros outweigh the cons here, so Kara's mind is made up. She's going to lose Cat Grant in 10 days.

"The view is incredible, isn't it? It's one of the main reasons I chose this apartment."

Kara turns around at the sound of Cat's voice. The CEO has changed out of her stained dress and is now wearing some black skinny jeans and a white blouse. She still looks incredible, and Kara swallows.

"Not as incredible as this view."

Cat smiles and makes her way further into the room, so she's standing nearer to, but not quite next to, Kara. "You're a sweet talker, Kara."

Kara smiles and plays with her hands. "Just telling the truth," she mumbles. "Thanks for letting me use your bathroom."

"I'd rather that than have you urinate all over my seat of my town car."

"Good decision."

"Glad you approve."

"So..." Kara twists from side to side awkwardly. "It was really great to meet you, Miss Grant. I hope I'm fortunate enough to see you again sometime."

Cat smiles as though privy to a secret that Kara isn't aware of. "I'm sure you will be. Oh, and call me Cat."

"OK, Cat. I should be going. It's getting late and I have to be in the office tomorrow morning."

"I'll walk you to the door," Cat offers, leading the way.

Kara follows the older woman back through the kitchen and to the front door, which Cat opens for her and allows Kara to step through into the hall. "My driver should still be downstairs. He'll drive you to your home."

"Thank you so much, Miss... Cat."

"I'll see you soon, Kara," Cat says, leaning up and placing a quick kiss on Kara's cheek.

Kara grins and offers the older woman a wave, then makes her way to the elevator. It's only once the doors slide closed and she's on her way back down to the ground floor that she allows herself a mischievous smile, though.

See, she kind of accidentally-on-purpose made it so that she'd  _have_  to see Cat again. She left her clutch on Cat's kitchen counter, meaning she'd have to get it back at some time, meaning she'd definitely see the older woman and be able to begin her plan to drive her away.

She's going to get her promotion by the next week and a half. And it'll all be thanks to Cat Grant.


	2. Baby Let The Games Begin

"Donuts for breakfast? Really?" Alex's tone is one of disapproval as she approaches Kara and Winn with her hands on her hips.

Winn is sitting behind his computer at the DEO, swinging lazily from side to side as he finishes his sugary snack. Kara is kicked back in a chair next to him with her feet on the desk. She had been using her sleeve to try and wipe away a stain on her supersuit left by a blob of jam, but she looks up when her sister arrives.

"It's a post break-up Breakfast of Champions designed to heal Winn's broken heart," Kara explains, sounding like she'd rehearsed that line just in case she was confronted. "Want one?" she beams, holding up a pink box that has three more donuts in it.

"I shouldn't. These jeans are already getting tight from all the take-out we've been ordering recently."

"You know whose jeans were tight?" Winn asks, voice wavering slightly. "Lyra's. The first time we had sex, you know, the time I cried? Well, I tried to pull them off, but I wasn't strong enough to get them past her ankles. So she," he pauses to swallow thickly. "She just ripped them off. Actually  _ripped_  them. It was so sexy. I miss that about her."

Alex gives Kara an alarmed look when Winn looks like he's on the verge of tears, but Kara just thrusts the box towards her again pointedly, as though her taking a donut will make Winn feel a hundred times better. Alex rolls her eyes and takes one.

"Anyway," Alex hastily changes the subject. "How come you left Clark's party so early last night? You didn't say goodbye to me  _or_  Clark."

"Because it was torture, Alex," Kara complains, remembering what a terrible evening she'd had and blaming her sister for it. "Everyone that I approached for this  _stupid_  'How To Lose A Partner In 10 Days' article was a creep! And then this one woman threw up and _I have super senses_! I could smell that vomit until I got back to National City, and even then I kept on thinking I could smell it. It was like it was a phantom hovering around me. I was having flashbacks. It was gross."

With a look of disgust, Alex drops her donut, not yet bitten, back into the box. "So you didn't find anyone? And now you only have  _nine_  days to meet someone and get them to break up with you?"

"I never said I didn't find someone," says Kara proudly.

"You got someone already?"

"I did."

"Who?"

Kara forces nonchalance to hide her fear that Winn and Alex will overreact when they find out. She picks up another donut, stalling. "Does is really matter?"

"Yes," Alex and Winn say in unison.

"Pfft. It's just, you know," Kara looks down. "Cat Grant." She refuses to look at the shocked expressions that are undoubtedly staring back at her.

" _Cat Grant?!_ " Winn shouts, earning the attention of the entire room. He looks around with a sheepish smile and apologises, then leans towards Kara and hisses, "As in  _the_  Cat Grant? Are you insane?"

"What?" Kara asks defensively. "I accidentally spilt a drink on her when I was getting the hell out of Dodge and she started flirting with me."

"Cat Grant? Flirting with  _you_?" Alex says incredulously, and Kara tries not to be hurt by it but  _ouch_.

"Yes! I know I'm not good at picking up on that kind of thing but she held my hand, she got  _really_  close to me, she asked me to ride in her car with her back to National City. The implications were pretty clear."

"OK, fine. But you didn't have to say yes. You don't have to use her for an article. She's an incredibly powerful woman, Kara, and I don't think you understand-"

"Understand what?" Kara interrupts, dropping her donut back into the box. "That I'm out of her league? That she won't waste more than a week on me? That's the point!"

"That she might not like being used for an article," Alex corrects. "That she's a public figure who will go ballistic when she finds out what you've done, and will have her team of highly-experienced lawyers on the phone in a heartbeat."

Kara shakes her head, looking at Alex as though she's dense. "I'm not going to write her name in the article, Alex. She'll be anonymous, I'll use a pseudonym. She'll probably never even find out what I did."

"It doesn't even matter because that's the least of your worries. Kara, Cat Grant  _branded_  you; she's the reason that you're known as Supergirl. She's been writing about you since you started helping people - you've given  _interviews_  with her as Supergirl. Is it really a good idea to get up close and personal with her as Kara Danvers? What if she recognises you? She's a reporter; she'll  _expose_  you."

"She won't recognise me. No one else has."

"Not yet, but Cat is a smart woman, and a pair of glasses and a ponytail is hardly the greatest disguise."

Kara opens her mouth, offended, but she doesn't have chance to say anything before Winn cuts in. "Wait. Aren't we being a bit presumptuous here? How can we even know Kara will see her again? She's the CEO of a worldwide media organisation. Does she even have  _time_  for dating?"

"She has to see me again," Kara states. "I made sure of it by 'forgetting' my clutch. It's on her kitchen counter. She'll see it, she'll-"

"Give it to one of the many people who work for her and tell them to give it back to you?" Alex finishes. "This isn't a good plan, Kara, and you need to realise that sooner rather than later. You need to write this article for your promotion and you don't have time to waste."

Kara clenches her jaw and glares at her sister, infuriated by the lack of faith that Alex has in her. "I don't need you to tell me what I  _need_  to do. I've gotten this far in my career without you butting in and I can get this promotion without you, too. I know what I'm doing. Cat said that she'd see me again when I was leaving last night, and she sounded pretty sure about it. And when I  _do_  see her, I'll flip the switch, make all the classic relationship mistakes and have this article written in no time.  _And_  Cat will be none the wiser to the fact that I'm Supergirl."

"I hope you're right," Alex says, folding her arms across her chest. "I don't want to see you hurt if this blows up in your face and you miss out on the promotion you've worked so hard for,  _and_  lose the normal life you love so much."

Kara stands, not even bothering to look Alex in the eye. "I have to go to work," she says, not wanting to be around Winn and Alex when they clearly don't think she'll be able to pull this off. "I'll see you later." She turns to walk away, in a much worse mood now than she had been last night when she'd thought she had this all figured out.

"Wait! Are you still coming to the basketball game tonight? It's the first of the series!" Winn calls behind her.

Kara feels bad for not replying as soon as the door closes behind her.

* * *

"I don't care how you get it, Teschmacher, but if I don't have that girl's phone number in the next hour, so help me God, I will fire your incompetent ass. And don't even  _think_  about trying to slap me with a wrongful termination lawsuit," Cat barks into her phone as she slides her feet into her shoes. "Her name is Kara Danvers and she works for Lena Luthor at  _Composure_  magazine. What more do you need to know?"

Her assistant squeaks out a response which sounds like ' _nothing, I'll get right on it'_ , so Cat hangs up the phone and prays, for Eve's sake, that the number is on her desk by the time she gets to the office.

If she doesn't win this bet because of her assistant, there will most certainly be a pink slip with Eve's name on it.

Cat walks over to her vanity table and picks up a pair of earrings, fixes them into her ears, then takes a second to inspect her reflection in the mirror to make sure she looks, at worst, presentable. Once satisfied that she looks OK (probably a little more than OK, actually), she doesn't hang around. She picks up her bag, puts her phone in it, then leaves her room in the direction of the kitchen.

Since Carter is staying with his father, the penthouse is too quiet for Cat's liking. Not that Carter is a loud child in the first place, but he can usually be heard quietly getting on with something, whether it be the low murmurs coming from the television, the rustling of the beanbag in his room which he likes to read on, or the tapping of buttons on his gaming console. Without those noises, Cat has been struggling, feeling like her apartment is suddenly too big and too empty and too  _quiet_.

That's why Cat doesn't want to spend more time here than necessary. Without the sound of Carter getting ready for school, she feels an emptiness inside that reminds her of his absence. Luckily, she never has to go very long without seeing Carter, but the odd times he stays with his father feel like eternities. She misses her little boy; misses hearing about his day and seeing his smile. She misses knowing that Carter's OK and being able to hug him whenever she likes. She hopes to distract herself from that at the office.

She knows it won't work - nothing will be able to stop her from missing her son immensely - but she can try.

And one way that she's trying to do that is by focusing on the bet that she has with her mother. Making someone fall in love with her in ten days won't be easy, but she feels a lot more confident now that she's found Kara Danvers.

Sweet little Kara Danvers.

Yes, Cat is fairly confident she'll be able to make such a seemingly naive (though not in a bad way) girl fall in love with her.

But first, she needs to get ahold of Kara's phone number.

Sure, she could have just  _asked_  for it last night, but won't it seem like she's made much more of an effort when she's gone through the difficulty of tracking it down? Won't it seem like she  _cares_ , and that she thinks Kara is  _special_? Surely Kara will fall a little bit in love with her just from that.

Cat smiles to herself as she walks into her kitchen, confident that her plan will work and the blonde will be madly in love with her in no time. That cocky smile soon turns to a confused frown, though, when her eyes land on a foreign object on her kitchen counter.

A sparkly silver purse.

Cat tilts her head to the side and approaches the silver clutch as though it's a bomb that may detonate at any moment. The clutch certainly doesn't belong to her, but who else-

Cat lifts an eyebrow when the realisation hits her. This is Kara's clutch. She must have left it here last night when she came up to use the bathroom.

This means one of two things: either Kara is incredibly forgetful, or she left her purse here on purpose to ensure she would see Cat again.

No, Cat dismisses. It's probably not the latter, and the only reason the idea came into her mind is because it's something she herself would have done back in her days as a pavement-pounding journalist always looking for the next big story. Those kinds of tricks were perfect for discovering information that would have been otherwise off-limits.

True, Kara is a journalist, but she's a 'How To...' girl, and those don't pose much of a threat to Cat Grant.

So, it must mean Kara is just forgetful, and this forgetfulness has benefited Cat.

Cat smiles, making a mental-note that she'll have to make a quick stop on her way to work.

* * *

The first thing Kara notices when she enters the bullpen at  _Composure_  is that there's a stranger standing by her desk. At least, she  _thinks_  the man is a stranger. He has his back to her, but everything about him - his build, his stance - seems unfamiliar. Kara isn't expecting any visitors, and can't think of a single reason why a strange man would be lingering by her desk at barely nine o'clock in the morning. So, thrown off-kilter, Kara slows her pace.

She glances around the room, but everyone is going about their business as though nothing is out of the ordinary, so she proceeds with caution.

"Excuse me? Can I help y-"

The man turns around and catches Kara off guard when he reveals what his body had previously been blocking: a large bouquet of lavender roses in his hands.

"Are you a Miss..." The man fumbles with his phone for a moment. "Kara Danvers?"

"Yes?" Kara is so confused by the man with the flowers that she sounds uncertain.

The man gives her an odd look, probably thinking she's insane for being unsure of her own name. "Can I see some ID?"

That's understandable. Kara opens her bag and locates her staff ID card, turning it to show the man. He looks at it closely, looks at Kara, then nods. "Alright. These are for you, Miss Danvers." He hands over the bouquet. "You have a nice day."

The man is already turning to leave when Kara says, "Wait. I can give you a tip."

"Already taken care of," The man dismisses, then departs.

Kara watches him go, only noticing once he's out of sight that she's attracted an audience of at least half a dozen people, all looking at the lavender roses in Kara's hands with curiosity. Kara feels her cheeks heat up as she puts the roses on her desk, then slides into her chair. It really is a large bouquet; large enough that Kara doesn't know where she's going to put it for the rest of the day. On her desk, it covers her computer screen, even if she pushes it to the side. It also draws the attention of the people who sit around her, which isn't something she's comfortable with.

Who would send her so many roses, anyway? She rummages through the bouquet, looking for a card. She has to stand up to check the other side, but finally spots a little piece of card and takes it. Sitting back down, she reads the words written in elegant cursive.

_Kara,_  
_Even as I'm writing this, I_ know that you blushed when these roses were delivered in front of your coworkers. But don't worry. It's adorable when you do that.  
_Lavender roses signify enchantment. It was enchanting to meet you, Kara Danvers._  
_I hope we meet again soon.  
_ _Cat Grant_

The excited squeal that Kara emits after reading the card isn't very badass-superhero. In fact, if she weren't so ecstatic, then she might have been embarrassed about it. Yet all she can feel at the moment is blind joy because  _she_  enchanted _Cat Grant,_  and that is beyond incredible.

Alex and Winn were wrong: she's found the perfect person to use for her article. It shouldn't be too hard to drive Cat away, and then Kara will get her promotion.

Kara looks at the roses again, this time finding them a million times more beautiful than she had before. They're so bright and mesmerising, and how has Kara never noticed what a lovely colour lavender is?

Kara leans back in her seat and, she can't help it, she squeals again. But this time, she's reminded that she's in an office surrounded by people trying to work when Andrea - the woman who sits at the next desk over - shushes her.

Kara glares at the middle-aged woman who's way too uptight for her own good (would it kill her to crack a smile once in a while?), then turns back to her bouquet.

Her day has taken quite the turn. From Alex and Winn making her feel crappy, to Cat Grant making her feel like she's flying. Literally. This is what she feels like when she flies. Not even Andrea can kill her mood now.

Kara is still in her bubble of happiness when the phone on her desk rings, and she barely even thinks as she reaches out for it and brings it to her ear.

"Hello?"

_"You sound as though you're feeling... dreamy. I take it you got my roses?"_

Kara sits up straighter when she realises that this is  _Cat Grant_  on the phone. Her eyes subconsciously land on the roses again. So beautiful. "Y- Yes. Yes, I did. They're absolutely gorgeous. Thank you so much, Miss Grant."

 _"I believe I said this last night, but please, call me Cat._ "

"Oh, of course. Sorry, Miss Grant."

" _Or don't,"_  Cat says wryly.

Kara shakes her head at herself, having been too busy staring at the roses to really absorb what Cat had said. She turns her chair away from the desk so that she can't get distracted again. "Sorry,  _Cat_."

 _"No matter. And there's no need to thank me for the roses. Every girl deserves to be sent flowers as gorgeous as she is at some point in her life."_  Kara blushes and smiles shyly, even though Cat can't even  _see_  her.

"Thank you."

_"I just said there's no need to thank me."_

"I'm not thanking you for the roses this time, though. I'm thanking you for calling me gorgeous."

_"Do you often thank people for telling the truth?"_

"If their truth is subjective and complimentary towards me, then yes."

 _"It's not subjective, Kara. You are gorgeous by every definition of the word."_  Kara puts her tongue between her teeth, ready to say 'thank you', until Cat adds. _"And don't even_ think _about thanking me again."_

Kara wordlessly releases the breath she had sucked in, smiling to herself.

 _"You know,"_  Cat muses.  _"I can't help but feel as though my prayers have been answered. See, all night I was hoping to find an excuse to see you again - as I wrote on the card, you enchanted me. So, imagine my delight when I walked into my kitchen this morning and spotted your clutch on my counter. Seems you were a little scatterbrained last night and forgot it."_

Kara smiles mischievously, marvelling in how her plan has worked a treat. She can't wait to rub it in Alex's face that  _she_  was right and Alex was wrong.

"Right. Oops, my bad." Kara tries to sound at least a little bit sincere, despite her complete lack of remorse.

_"Not to worry. I suppose we'll just have to see each other again so that I can give it back to you. How does tonight sound?"_

Kara grins and spins her desk chair from side to side just to burn some of her excited energy. "Sounds perfect."

_"It's a date."_

Kara can hardly believe her luck. Everything seems to have fallen into place perfectly for her to write this How To Lose A Partner In 10 Days article, with Cat being the one to suggest that they meet up again so soon. Now Kara has nine days to lose her, but if tonight goes well, she could succeed with eight days to spare.

It just depends on how awful she makes the evening.

Kara grins wickedly as an idea comes to her. "Yeah, a date..." she repeats. "How about I pick the venue?"

There's a few seconds of silence from Cat's end before the older woman says. _"Very well. You can if you wish."_

"Great. Then I'd better get going. I've got a date to plan."

_"That you do. I'll see you tonight, Kara."_

Kara says goodbye, then hangs up the phone. But she doesn't put the handset down. Not yet, anyway. She dials another number, chewing on her lip nervously while she waits for the other person to pick up.

After three rings, he does.

_"Hello?"_

"Hey, Winn. It's me. I need a favour..."

* * *

Cat spends the next few hours worrying about where Kara is going to take her on this date. She doesn't  _want_  Kara to choose the location, but she could hardly have said no without risking seeming rude and giving Kara a reason to think negatively of her. Cat has a bet to win. She can't have that.

Kara will choose a restaurant, surely, but what kind? A hipster joint that millennials frequent? A seafood place? Cat can't stand seafood. Oh God, what if Kara's on a budget? What if she takes her to one of those two for one places?

Cat worries even more when, mid-way through the afternoon, Eve knocks on the door to her office to inform her that Kara has called and said that Cat should 'wear something casual'.

That's when a feeling of foreboding fills Cat. On what kind of first date does one have to 'wear something casual?'

Certainly not a date at a nice restaurant.

So what kind of atrocity is Kara going to drag her along to? Bowling? Colour Me Mine? Something  _worse_?

Despite her internal panic, Cat obeys and stops by her apartment after work to change out of her dress and into some black fitted trousers, a knitted white t-shirt, and a black textured jacket. Then she asks her driver to pick up Kara, still feeling anxious about what the younger woman has planned.

When Kara comes down to the car, she's wearing blue skinny jeans, black loafers and a grey peacoat which is buttoned up firmly. Even in such simple clothes, she looks fantastic, and Cat feels a mixture of awe and jealousy well up inside her.

Oh, to be young again.

Cat opens the door and steps out of the car to greet Kara, giving her a quick peck on the cheek as any good date would.

"You look stunning," she compliments, again trying to be a good date so that Kara will think fondly of her, though there may be a bit (a lot) of truth in that statement.

Kara looks down modestly and runs a hand along the length of her ponytail. "It's not like I'm dressed up or anything."

Cat sighs and puts a finger beneath Kara's chin, tilting the blonde's head up so that they make eye contact. "You don't need to be. You're stunning, Kara."

Kara can't seem to help the smile that spreads across her lips or the blush that rises up her neck. She covers her cheeks with her hands. "You need to stop doing that," she says.

"Doing what?"

"Making me blush."

Cat smiles at how sweet the younger woman is. "I don't want to," she admits. If she keeps this up, Kara will be putty in her hands in no time. To hide her smirk, Cat turns back to the car and grabs what she is technically here to give to Kara. "I believe I have your glass slipper, Cinderella." She presents Kara with the silver clutch she had left behind.

"Thank you, Prince Charming," Kara accepts it, then pushes her glasses further up her nose. "We should probably get going. We don't want to be late."

Cat sees her opportunity to discover what Kara has planned. "Late for what?"

Kara twists from side to side, looking excited. "It's a surprise."

"You'll have to tell me so that I can tell my driver where to take us," Cat persists.

"Or..." Kara walks over to the driver's window and knocks on it. John - Cat's driver - rolls down the window and Kara leans in, whispering something into his ear. "There," Kara says smugly afterwards. "Now it can still be a surprise."

Cat rolls her eyes, trying to look playful despite how non-playful she feels about it. This date better not be terrible. "Shall we?" Cat steps to the side so that Kara can get into the car first.

The younger woman climbs in and shuffles over so that Cat can get in through the same door. Once they're both seated and have their belts buckled, John sets off through the streets of National City.

After a few minutes, Kara puts her hand on top of Cat's and smiles at her. "I'm glad we're doing this."

"Me too," Cat squeezes Kara's hand. "Though you should know, for future reference, I'm not a fan of surprises."

"For future reference?" Kara echoes, raising her eyebrows. "How presumptuous. We haven't even got our first date out of the way yet."

"What can I say? I'm an optimist." The reality is that she  _needs_  there to be another date, but she's hardly going to say that to Kara. "Don't you want to take your coat off?" Cat asks, shifting so that she can help the other woman. Her car feels slightly warm to her, and she's not the one in a coat, so she assumes Kara must be feeling hot.

But the younger woman hugs her coat closer to herself and declines, "Oh, no, that's OK."

Cat tries not to appear too confused as she settles back into a regular position. Is Kara cold? But how can that be when they're in a toasty car? What would a good date do when their date is feeling chilly? "John," Cat calls. "Would you turn up the heating?"

"Th-That's not necessary," Kara assures her.

"Nonsense. You shouldn't be cold enough to wear a coat in my car."

Kara seems uncomfortable, but nods. Cat is also uncomfortable, primarily because her car is now  _too_  warm, but Kara doesn't seem affected by it in the slightest. In fact, she still doesn't remove the outerwear.

It takes another half an hour, which is when they finally get to venue, for Cat to find out why Kara hadn't wanted to take off her coat.

They pull up outside a stadium, where a flashing sign announces the first game of the basketball season: National City Wildcats vs. Central City Spurs. Cat barely even glances up, not considering for one moment that this might be where their date is taking place. That is, until John declares, "Here we are, ladies."

Cat frowns. Is this a joke?

"Here?" she questions.

"Yes. Here," Kara confirms, opening the door to the car and thanking John before climbing out.

Cat stays seated for a couple more seconds, not understanding what's going on, but she eventually exits the car herself and walks over to Kara's side. The fresh air is a relief - Cat had been worried she'd get heatstroke because the car was so warm - but she can only appreciate it for a second because  _why are they here?_

Surely Kara hasn't arranged for their date to be at a basketball game. Surely Cat's misunderstood.

That's what Cat genuinely believes until Kara unbuttons her coat, revealing a baggy yellow National City Wildcats t-shirt underneath. "Surprise!" Kara grins, spreading her arms wide.

Cat opens her mouth, closes it, then just stares blankly at Kara.

This is worse than she could have imagined.

Much, much worse.

* * *

"Excuse me? Pardon me. Sorry, can I just...?" Cat turns her head when she hears Kara trying to make her way through the crowd. The younger woman had left to go get them some snacks and drinks, but is obviously having a hard time squeezing her way back through the narrow space along their row of seats. The game hasn't even started yet, but people still seem unwilling to move to let the blonde past.

Eventually, Kara manages to push her way through and is back at Cat's side. The sunny smile on her face says nothing of the battle she has just endured to get back to her seat, and Cat wonders how the girl can still look so happy after being wedged between so many dirty, rude people.

"Your M&Ms and water," Kara holds the refreshments towards Cat with a beaming smile.

"Thank you." Cat takes the two items, offering her own, much smaller smile.

She had actually longed for some hard liquor rather than water, but she doesn't think getting drunk on a first date would be the right way to go about getting Kara to fall in love with her.

Cat is taking this bet seriously, even if her participant-who-doesn't-know-she's-participating is terrible at planning dates.

She studies Kara as the blonde sits down in the seat next to her and puts her drink - a large soda - on the floor, while keeping her box of nachos on her lap.

Cat just doesn't understand what possessed Kara to bring her to a basketball game. What made her believe that this would be a place that Cat would want to go?

Had Cat not made the bet with her mother, she would have told her driver to turn the car around right away - there would be no way in hell she would sit through a basketball game - but she  _had_  made the bet, and she needs this date to go well, even if this evening will be torture for her.

It's all of her worst nightmares rolled up into one: having to sit through a dull game for who knows how long, being in a crowded space where there are so many  _germs_  and  _people touching her_ , people screaming loudly, unpleasant smells, sticky surfaces which have no right to be sticky. It can't get much worse.

Actually, it can't get worse, full stop.

Next to her, Kara picks up a nacho, dips it in her cheese and shoves the whole thing into her mouth. A few pieces break off and fall down her front, but Kara hardly seems to notice as she picks up another one and does the same thing. She chews, but doesn't swallow before holding the box towards Cat. "Want one?"

Cat wordlessly shakes her head, causing Kara to shrug and help herself to another.

Maybe Cat should have done some kind of background check before committing to making Kara fall in love with her. She might have reconsidered her decision had she known the blonde is a sports fan who talks with her mouth full.

Cat picks her bag off the floor and takes out her phone, checking to see if she's missed any calls or texts from Carter. There's just one text, telling her that his father is ordering pizza for dinner.

"Everything OK?" Kara asks, grabbing Cat's attention again, although the older woman doesn't look up from her phone.

"Yes, fine. I'm just replying to a text from my son."

"You have a son?" Kara sounds surprised.

"Two, actually. Adam, who lives in Opal City, and Carter, who lives with me but is staying with his father at the moment."

Cat types out a reply to Carter, saying that she's glad he's having fun and that she misses him, then she finally realises the magnitude of the information she's just divulged. What if her two sons scare Kara away? What if she has to find someone else to fall in love with her in  _eight days_? Kara has remained silent, which surely isn't a good sign. "Is that OK with you?" Cat asks, finally looking up at Kara.

The younger woman is in the middle of chewing a nacho, put she cocks her head to the side in a manner that reminds Cat of a puppy, looking genuinely confused. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Adam is 27 and Carter is 13," Cat replies, not exactly answering the question. But she knows that young people nowadays have a fear of responsibility, and two children - even if they aren't exactly children - is a  _lot_  of responsibility. True, this is just a first date and neither she nor Kara are considering marriage or co-parenting, but it might be enough to make Kara not want to get involved with Cat at all.

Kara, though, seems unperturbed. "I'd love to see a picture sometime."

Cat is surprised, to say the least, but she doesn't question it further. She just considers herself lucky that she chose Kara for this bet. Sweet, slightly ill-mannered Kara.

Cat is pulled from her thoughts when she feels someone drop onto the seat on her other side. She turns around to see a man, extremely overweight and visibly sweating, making himself comfortable. He's so large that his arm presses against Cat's, and she wrinkles her nose in disgust. She wouldn't want  _any_  stranger touching her, but one drenched in sweat is enough to make her feel sick. And that's before the smell of the greasy hot-dog the man is holding drifts to Cat's nose and almost makes her heave. This is all becoming too much.

She shuffles to her left so that she's no longer touching Sweaty Guy and is instead pressed against Kara.

The younger woman looks down at her at the contact, smiles, and puts her right arm around Cat's shoulders, while her left hand still holds her nachos. "This is nice," Kara comments as Cat leans into her.

"Hmm," Cat agrees, and for the briefest of moments, tucked into Kara's side, she almost means it. Who wouldn't enjoy being securely under the arm of a beautiful woman?

But then music starts blasting through the speakers and a voice announces that the game is going to start, and suddenly everyone is on their feet, screaming.

Kara removes her arm from around Cat and jumps up to join in, jolting Cat in the process.

Just when Cat had felt the  _teensiest_  bit content.

This is going to be a long night.

* * *

Kara is biting her lip so hard to keep from smiling that, if she were human, she would be bleeding by now.

Cat is trying  _really hard_  to act like she's having a nice time, probably for the sake of politeness, but just as Kara had expected, this is  _torture_  for her. The older woman stands awkwardly, not knowing what to do with herself while the basketball fans around her scream and shout. The obese man beside her keeps on nudging her, and each time Cat looks part disgusted and part on the verge of punching him. Then there's the man behind them who can't stop coughing and spluttering, so much so that Kara is worried that  _she_  will get sick, even though her Kryptonian physiology means that's impossible.

And Kara, for her part, is trying to be as annoying and insufferable as she can. She's been talking with her mouth full, dropping nacho crumbs all over herself, pretending not to hear Cat at least twice whenever she says something, has paid more attention to the game than she has to her date (that last one has less to do with the article she's writing and more to do with the fact that this is a  _really_  good game). She even accidentally-on-purpose kicked over her soda so it spilled all over Cat's shoes.

All in all, she's fairly confident that this will be their first and last date.

And then, along comes the cherry on top of the cake.

Kara hears a beeping in her ear, signalling someone from the DEO trying to contact her. She's tempted to ignore it, partly because the Wildcats and Spurs are neck and neck and she doesn't want to miss a second, and partly because she's on the date with Cat. But she knows that it could be important. People could be in danger and she can't let them get hurt just because she wants to watch a basketball game.

After brief hesitation, Kara turns to Cat and shouts over the crowd that she's going to go to the bathroom. The older woman looks displeased at being left on her own, but she doesn't try to stop her.

Kara pushes her way through the crowd and goes out of the door, her ears ringing from the sudden absence of the deafening crowd. She turns a corner so that she's out of sight and pressed the intercom in her ear.

"What?"

" _Kara, it's me,_ " Alex's voice filters through the device.  _"We have a situation in Canal Street subway station."_

"What's happening? Is it serious?"

_"Nothing major. Seems to be a conflict between two aliens of feuding species. There are no civilian casualties that we know of. Property damage seems to be the main problem, but it would be really helpful if Supergirl could come and put a stop to this."_

Kara looks over her shoulder in the direction of the basketball court, trying to decide what she should do. "Can't you guys handle it? I'm kinda busy right now."

 _"Busy? Too busy to come and save the day?"_  Alex sounds confused and a little judgemental.  _"Is this about earlier? About me not wanting you to use Cat Grant for your article?"_

"No. In fact, I'm on a date with her now," Kara explains. "And I know that you don't think it's a good idea, but I've made up my mind and it's going well! I've brought her to the Wildcats' game, because obviously there's no way in hell that Cat Grant would want to be here, and she's having a terrible time. At this rate, she'll end things before the night is over and I'll be able to write my article and get my promotion by tomorrow, so I really don't want to mess this up."

" _Kara,_ " Alex says, sounding like she's about to call Kara an idiot or something. _"You want to make sure Cat never wants to see you again, right? Well, what better way is there to do that than going AWOL in the middle of your date?"_

Kara's face lights up, a visible lightbulb moment. "Alex, you're a genius," she says, already walking towards the exit of the arena. "I'll be there is two minutes."

* * *

Fifteen minutes after Kara leaves to go to the bathroom, Cat is staring down at her phone, wondering where the girl has got to and what is taking her so long. On the big screen above the court, the Kiss Cam is playing, but Cat pays it no attention. It's silly and juvenile and Cat has no interest in watching couples be forced to kiss one another for the entertainment of moronic sports fans.

So distracted is Cat that she is taken by surprise when she feels someone tap her shoulder, and she looks up to see the large, sweaty man grinning at her. She lifts an eyebrow expectantly when he doesn't say anything, so he nods to the screen above the court.

Cat looks over and...

Her heart almost stops when she sees that the camera is focused on her and the man. She shakes her head, trying to convey to whoever is controlling this that this is a mistake. Cat isn't here with Sweaty Guy. Cat isn't willing to partake in this stupid activity.

When the camera remains insistently on them, Cat looks over her shoulder, willing Kara to return with all her might.

But she doesn't, and Sweaty Guy leans over and places a sloppy kiss on Cat's cheek.

It's the worst night of Cat's life.

* * *

As Kara climbs out of the town car, which is parked outside her apartment, Cat can't see her face. Kara takes full advantage of this and smiles, which she has been forcing herself not to do for the past hour.

Cat has had a terrible time and there's no way in hell she'll want to see Kara again.

When Kara had returned from the 'bathroom' (apprehending two hostile aliens), Cat had looked traumatised and had demanded to know where Kara had been. Kara had blamed her thirty-five minute absence on a long line for the ladies' room, and Cat had simply shaken her head with a face like thunder. Kara had innocently asked Cat what was wrong, which is when the older woman had told her about being kissed by Sweaty Guy.

Kara had wanted to burst out laughing right there on the spot, and was proud of herself for not doing and for instead feigning sympathy. Well, perhaps she  _was_  sympathetic. She personally wouldn't have wanted to be kissed by that man.

Still, Cat had looked like she'd had quite enough, and Kara isn't completely heartless. She had suggested that they call it a night, and Cat had looked so relieved that Kara almost felt bad about what she had made the older woman go through.

But then she had remembered the promotion that she had coming her way, and, well, this is all for the greater good at the end of the day.

"Wildcats won!" Kara announces, turning to face Cat, who's just climbing out of the car. She's got the final score up on her phone since they missed the last few minutes.

"Hooray," Cat says, her tone devoid of any joy.

"I'm sorry about tonight," Kara says innocently. "I didn't know that I would be gone so long, and I didn't know that you'd have to kiss that guy."

Cat smiles tightly, which Kara attributes to her trying to be polite, as she has been all evening. "As long as you had fun," Cat dismisses the apology.

"I did," Kara nods, then looks up at her building. There's just one more thing left to happen before she can write this article: Cat needs to say that they won't be seeing each other again. "Well, it's getting late. I should be going," Kara gives Cat the perfect opportunity to do just that.

But Cat doesn't seem relieved that it's the end of the night. She looks, if anything, worried. "Before you go," she says, taking a step towards Kara. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Kara looks to the side in confusion before frowning down at the CEO, who is now in her personal space. "No? I have by clutch this time." She holds up her silver clutch as though to prove her point.

Cat rolls her eyes, but there's a smile on her lips. "Not that. A goodnight kiss? It's hardly fair that I've kissed someone else on this date but not you."

"Oh!" Kara brings a hand up to nervously fiddle with her glasses because  _what_? Cat shouldn't want to kiss her right now. Cat should want to end things and leave ASAP. "Y- You... You don't think that I'm the kind of person to kiss on a first date, do you?" Kara says with an uncomfortable laugh. Maybe Cat will think she's a prude and decide she's just not worth it.

But no. Cat smirks instead, looking a little too pleased with that answer. "Maybe on date number two then?"

Kara swallows and plays with her glasses again. "Date number two?"

"What do you say?"

What is there  _to_  say? For Kara to write this article,  _Cat_  needs to be the one to end things, not the other way around. It's Kara's turn to smile tightly. "Sure."

Cat holds out her hand. "Give me your phone. I'll put in my number."

Kara hands over her device and watches the CEO add herself to her contacts list. Once she's done, Cat sends herself a text. "And now I have your number too."

Kara wants to facepalm. "Great."

* * *

Cat spends an hour in the shower that night, washing off all remnants of the horrific evening.

But it's OK, she tells herself. It's worth it.

Because she'll be seeing Kara again - she made sure of that - and winning this bet with her mother is all that matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How could I not continue this story after the amazing response I got to the first chapter?  
> Thank you to everyone who has read this and, just so you know, Kara is only just getting started. Poor Cat!  
> From here on out, I'm hoping to post new chapters AT LEAST once a week. Whether or not I'm successful depends on how much work gets piled on me.  
> Oh, and I posted this without proofreading because I'm in a rush. Feel free to flag up any mistakes and I'll correct them.  
> Thanks again :)


	3. Chapter 3

Every Wednesday at 8am, Kara and Alex meet in the café on Composure's ground floor to have breakfast. They've been doing it ever since Kara started working for the magazine about three years ago, and it's almost (but not quite) as sacred as their weekly girls' nights in.

It's so holy, in fact, that there is no reasonable excuse for bailing on this tradition. Possibly with the exception of severe illness/recovery from a near death experience.

But the awkward aftermath of a near-argument the day before certainly doesn't make the cut, which is what leads to Kara and Alex sitting uncomfortably across from one another in the café on Wednesday morning, with Kara staring down into her coffee mug and Alex playing with an empty sugar sachet. The usual easy flow of conversation is absent, leaving in its wake an unpleasant silence that rarely descends over the sisters.

They've exchanged distant small talk:  _How are you? Good thanks, how are you? Good. Busy day ahead? Mmhmm,_ but they haven't managed to get much further.

Disagreeing over this article has driven a small wedge between them.

Once it's been seventeen minutes exactly since either of them have spoken (Alex has been watching the clock ticking on the wall above the counter, just to give herself something to do), Alex decides to make the effort to put the tension behind them. Besides, it's not like they even  _fought_. She'd just expressed her view that maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea for Kara to use Cat Grant in her How To Lose A Partner In 10 Days article, a view which Kara had disagreed with. It's not the first time the sisters haven't agreed about something, and it won't be the last.

Which means, really, it's stupid for them to be sitting in tense silence.

"So," Alex begins conversationally, forcing herself to look at the blonde. "How was your date?"

Kara's eyes flicker to her briefly before returning to her coffee. "I don't think it's a good idea for us to talk about that," she admits, tone ever so slightly bitter. "You'll probably try to talk me out of dating Cat again, and I don't want to hear it."

Alex sighs, drops the sachet she's been fiddling with and instead leans forwards on folded arms. "I  _don't_  think it's very smart for you to 'date' Cat; not when  _she's_  a powerful figure in the media and  _you_  moonlight as a superhero. But you know that now. You know how I feel, and you've decided to go ahead with this thing anyway, and that's fine, that's your prerogative. I've done my job as the protective big sister - I've warned you about the dangers if this plan goes wrong. Now it's time for me to be the supportive big sister."

Kara looks at Alex, her lips pursed. It's her, ' _I'm listening'_  face, which Alex takes as a good sign and continues. "I can help you with this. I can be your sounding board, I can give you advice. Please let me. Let me help you in whatever way that I can because I  _so_  want you to get this promotion."

Kara doesn't say anything for a few seconds, but continues to look at Alex intensely. Alex is worried that Kara still won't trust her to talk about the Cat situation, which would devastate her because they're Alex and Kara. They share everything with each other and stick together through thick and thin. If Kara doesn't want to talk to her about this, then what if it's the first crack in their relationship? The first step towards them growing apart?

OK, maybe Alex is being a little dramatic, but she's a worst-case-scenario kind of person, and the longer Kara looks at her like that without saying anything, the longer Alex's mind has to make up awful situations like-

A smile breaks out across Kara's face. A I-can't-hold-this-in-any-longer smile.

Alex narrows her eyes in suspicion at her sister, who it seems was purposely taking as long as possible to react just to mess with her, but it feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders nevertheless. She always feels anxious when she knows Kara is annoyed with her, but luckily, Kara never holds a grudge for long. She's much too sweet and cheerful for that.

"Come on," Kara reaches across the table and puts her hand on top of Alex's, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You know I can't stay mad at you. You just upset me yesterday because you didn't seem to think that I'd be able to pull this off, and it was like - I don't know - like you didn't believe in me."

Alex looks outraged at the mere prospect. "Kara, that's not true."

"I know," Kara is quick to assure her. "I see that now. You just don't want me to get hurt if Cat finds out the truth about who I am. And I appreciate your concern, but trust me Alex, I'm going to be really careful."

Alex smiles fondly at her little sister. "Good. So, how did the date go?" she asks, returning to the issue at hand. "You mentioned last night that Cat was having a terrible time and that you didn't think she'd want to see you again. Does that mean you've done it? Has she broken things off with you? Can you write the article?"

Kara's face goes darker again, answering Alex's question before any words leave her mouth. She pulls her hand away from Alex's and puts it in her lap. "Cat  _did_  have a terrible time," Kara acknowledges. "She hated the basketball game - oh, remind me to thank Winn for giving me those tickets, by the way - but yeah, she hated the game. She looked  _miserable_  all night. I was a terrible date: I talked with my mouth full, I paid more attention to the game than I did to her, I even ditched her halfway through,  _and_  she was kissed by this disgusting, sweaty guy." Alex frowns at that last part, wanting to ask some more questions about it, but Kara is too busy staring to the side with a confused look on her face. "But then she still wanted to kiss me at the end of the night. I said no," she hastily adds. "I thought that might make her decide I'm not worth it, but she just asked me for a second date instead."

"You're going out with her again?" Alex clarifies, surprised. It doesn't sound like Cat had a nice time at all, so why would she want to go through that again?

Kara nods her head, then slumps backwards in her seat, a baffled yet thoughtful expression on her face. "I don't  _get_  it.  _Why_  would she want to see me again?"

Alex considers the question for a moment before half-jokingly suggesting, "maybe she's just so desperate to get into your pants that she's willing to put up with a couple of crappy dates to get there."

Kara looks skeptical. "But she could get into  _anyone's_  pants  _without_  the crappy dates."

"Maybe, but hardly anyone is as attractive as you."

Kara, still dubious, hums noncommittally, not accepting that. How the superhero doesn't see her own beauty is beyond Alex, but before she can assure her sister that she's breathtaking, she's struck with another idea. "You said you paid more attention to the game than you did to Cat, then you wouldn't let her kiss you. Maybe she likes that kind of thing? She might have thought you were playing hard to get."

 _This_  piques Kara's interest. "Maybe she sees me as a challenge," Kara suggests, back straightening as the cogs in her head start turning. "I wasn't very forthcoming the night of the party either. Maybe she realised that I wouldn't be easy and decided to make it her mission to seduce me, just to prove to herself that she can have anyone she wants. Powerful people like that, right? It's an ego-boost."

"Mmhmm," Alex agrees. "I think we're onto something here."

"So," Kara leans forwards, meaning business. "If me being uninterested pulls her in, then me being  _too_  interested should-"

"Push her away," Alex finishes with a confident nod.

Kara grins. "You're a genius, Alex."

Alex puffs out her chest with pride.

"I know just the way to get Cat to end things with me. I'll be clingy, needy-"

"And don't forget crazy," Alex adds, grinning at the thought.

Kara smiles mischievously, looking more like an evil-mastermind than Alex thought it was possible for her little sister to look. "Let the games begin."

At that moment, a waitress appears next to their table holding two plates of food. "Two stacks of blueberry pancakes?" After receiving a nod, she puts a plate in front of each of the women.

When Kara's eyes land on her breakfast, her expression turns completely heart-eyes emoji. Any wicked plans are instantly forgotten, replaced only with the desire to practically inhale the food before her.

Alex smiles at the sight.  _There's_  her innocent little puppy.

* * *

When Cat returns to her office at the end of a  _long_  meeting, she slides off her heels, sits on her desk chair and almost  _groans_  when she sees the time on her computer monitor.

10:30am? That means the meeting with her department heads only lasted for an hour and a half, which means it was an hour and a half  _shorter_  than Cat had thought.

Originally, it had been supposed to last just twenty minutes - a brief status update about the latest issue of CatCo - but after seeing the state of the next issue, Cat had declared a state of emergency and hadn't let anyone leave the room until they had salvaged the mess they had made of her magazine and got it into their heads that CatCo was to be nothing short of excellent. Sloppiness would lead to terminations of contracts, shortcuts would lead to terminations of contracts, and  _incompetence_  would lead to terminations of contracts. No exceptions.

Cat had had to cancel her eyebrow waxing with Arabella due to the extension of the meeting, and it had made her feel a thousand times more stressed than when she had arrived in the office.

She had thought the only consolation would be that, when she left the conference room, it would be after 12pm and she could have her first glass of scotch.

Alas, this is not the case. She still has more than an hour to go until she is given that luxury.

Cat presses her fingers to her eyes, trying to quell the headache she can feel forming.

And where the hell is Eve, anyway? Can she not see that her boss is frazzled and in need of a pick-me-up? Has she not noticed that the CEO is out of her meeting now and needs to be informed what the rest of her schedule looks like?

God, when is Cat going to find an assistant who knows what she wants even before  _she_  does?

Gritting her teeth, Cat yells out, "Teschmacher!"

It takes a few seconds longer than Cat would like, but she eventually hears her assistant hurrying into her office. "Yes, Miss Grant?"

Cat moves her fingers away from her eyes and leans back in her seat, giving the younger woman an expectant look.

Again, it takes a few seconds, but Eve eventually realises what is wanted from her. "Right!" She unlocks the tablet she's holding, taps the screen a few times, then clears her throat. "You have a board meeting at twelve, and an appointment with your therapist at two. The layouts you asked for-" Cat clicks her fingers, causing Eve to pause and look up. The CEO looks pointedly towards the bar at the side of the room, and Eve, looking unsure, makes her way towards it. "The layouts you asked for should be ready any minute now, and the-" Eve puts her hand on the tumbler of scotch, but Cat shakes her head. Eve picks up the M&Ms instead and looks proud of herself when Cat nods. She deposits them on Cat's desk. "The termination letters you requested have been sent to the appropriate recipients. Mr. Matthews asked if it would be possible to have a meeting with you - he has a proposal for a new story which he wants to discuss with you in person - so I scheduled him in for 3:45, if that's OK."

"It is," Cat assents, putting her fingers into the bowl of M&Ms and taking out a few. "But cancel the board meeting. Book a massage with Rena instead. I think I deserve it after the morning I've had." She pops a few of the chocolates into her mouth.

Eve nods her head and taps away on the tablet. "Mr Evans from the  _Tribune_  called, too. He said it's not urgent, but he'd appreciate it if you could get back to him when you have a minute."

Cat nods and jots that down on a post-it note.

"Kara Danvers called, too." This causes Cat to lift her head look at her assistant with interest. Eve swallows and quietly adds, "Seven times."

"Kara Danvers called here seven times?" Cat echoes. That can't be right.

"She did, even though I told her that I'd let you know she'd called as soon as you were out of your meeting," Eve says, sounding miffed. "She just kept  _calling_  and  _calling_ , every ten minutes or so."

Cat frowns and taps her pen against her lips. Why would Kara call her so much? One would assume someone would only call so excessively if there was something urgent to talk about, but what urgent topic could Kara have to discuss? Unless she's in danger. But then why would she call Cat? They only met a couple of days ago, it's unlikely that Cat is her emergency contact.

Well, there's only one way to find out the real reason.

Cat takes a deep breath and puts her pen down, ending her thought process. "Call Rena and book the appointment for my massage, and go to the graphics department and get those layouts for me. Oh, and from now on, whenever Kara Danvers calls, let me know right away. Even if I'm in a meeting."

Cat needs to make this woman fall in love with her, and that's more likely to happen if she gives off the impression that she's available and that Kara is one of her top priorities. (Which, right now, she is).

"Of course, Miss Grant," Eve nods obediently. "Is that all?"

Cat nods the affirmative and Eve turns and leaves the room. Once she's gone, Cat picks up her bag and starts rummaging around for her cell phone, intending to call Kara back right away. Once she's found it and has searched her contacts for the younger woman, the phone on her desk starts to ring.

Cat looks through the glass wall of her office and locks eyes with Eve, who is standing next to her own desk, holding her own phone to her ear. Cat sighs and picks up the line. "Yes?"

"Kara Danvers is on the phone," Eve informs her in a carefully neutral voice.

Of course she is. "Send it through," Cat instructs.

She watches Eve press a button on her phone, and then Kara is connected through the line. " _Cat_?" Kara's voice comes through, tentative.

"Hello, dear," Cat says amiably. "I apologise that it took me so long to get back to you, but I was in a meeting and my assistant didn't think to let me know that someone was trying to contact me. Is everything OK?"

" _It's fine, and everything's fine._ "

Cat waits another few moments, expecting Kara to maybe tell her why she'd been trying so desperately to get through to her. It soon becomes apparent that the younger woman isn't going to expand. "Is there a particular reason you called?"  _Eight times,_ is what Cat wants to tack onto the end.

_"Not really. I just wanted to hear your voice and make sure that you're OK."_

This is weird, Cat decides, but what she  _says_  is, "how sweet."

 _"I had a great time last night,"_  Kara continues.  _"Would you like to meet up for lunch today?_ "

Cat thinks about the schedule that Eve has just relayed to her. The only time she'd really be free to go out for lunch is when her massage is scheduled for, and she  _really_  needs that massage. "I'm sorry, Kara, but I'm swamped today. I don't think I'll be able to find the time."

" _Oh._ " Kara sounds disappointed, but doesn't say anything more.

Cat looks to the side, waiting for the other woman to speak, until it again becomes apparent that she isn't going to. "You're not upset, are you? You understand that I'm busy and  _can't_  go out for lunch?"

 _"Of course,"_  Kara says in a high-pitched voice.  _"It's just... you said last night that you wanted to see me again, and now it kinda sounds like you don't_."

Cat frowns, not seeing the logic there. "Of course I want to see you again. But you know what I do for a living, you must understand that that makes me an incredibly busy person and I can't be available all the time. On some days, I'm unable to leave the office and, unfortunately, today is one of those days."

 _"If you don't want to go on a second date, then all you have to do is say so,"_  Kara mumbles.

Cat moves the phone away from her ear and looks at it as though  _it_  is being crazy, simply because she can't look at Kara that way. "I  _do_  want to go on a second date, but-"

" _No, your work is more important, that's fine,"_  Kara says in a tone that implies it most certainly is  _not_  fine.

"That's not- I-" Cat flounders, before giving up and resting her forehead on the palm of her hand. "How about we have dinner together tonight instead? You can come to my apartment, I'll cook."

 _"You'd do that for me?"_  Kara swoons, going from pissed-off to happy so fast that it almost gives Cat whiplash.

"Of course. I'll be leaving the office at around 7, so how does 8 o'clock sound?"

" _Perfect_!"

Cat forces herself to sound at least half as enthusiastic as Kara as she says goodbye and puts the phone down. Once the call has ended, Cat tips her head back and releases a long breath.

It's not even close to 12am yet, but screw it, Cat is breaking her own rule and having a glass of scotch.

* * *

In the middle of the afternoon, after taking care of some Supergirl business, Kara had wound up in the DEO and had pestered Alex and Winn while they tried to work. She had informed them of her invitation to go to Cat's apartment tonight and be cooked for (and thanked Winn for giving her the basketball tickets the day before).

It's then that Alex had given Kara a fantastic idea, completely unintentionally. She had asked Kara and Winn if they remembered Elisa, Winn's ex who broke up with him after he left numerous dolls lying around her apartment (Winn had scowled and said that they weren't  _dolls_ , they were  _action figures_  - collectables!)

After laughing at Winn (in the kindest way possible), Kara had been struck with an idea for getting Cat to break up with her, and had used her superspeed to rush from the room. She had some shopping to do.

A few hours later, Kara arrives at Cat's door with a bag containing her new purchases. She holds her hands behind her back as she knocks so that the CEO won't be able to see what she's holding and, as soon as the door is opened, envelopes Cat into a hug.

_Clingy, needy and crazy._

"It's so good to see you again," she says, squeezing as tightly as she can without crushing Cat's bones. The other woman is still for a few moments, probably feeling surprised and uncomfortable all at once, before awkwardly patting Kara's back. Kara has to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"You seem... excited," Cat comments, pulling away from the hug.

Kara grins. "Well, why wouldn't I be? I'm having dinner with a beautiful woman," Kara looks Cat up and down as she says this, only just realising that  _Rao_ , Cat really does look great tonight. She's only wearing a simple, form-fitting white dress with a black belt, but it just... it shouldn't be possible for someone to look this good. Kara looks back at Cat's eyes, swallows and ploughs on, "And I'm being cooked for, and..." she trails off, still feeling a little knocked off balance from how stunning Cat looks.

She must seem like an idiot, because Cat looks concerned all of a sudden and takes a step forwards. "Are you feeling OK?"

"Yeah, fantastic," Kara squeaks with an awkward laugh.

Cat looks utterly confused, but steps to the side of the door anyway. "Would you like to come in?"

Kara nods gratefully and steps past Cat, moving the bag she's brought to her side, then to her front to keep it out of the other woman's view. She doesn't hang around once she's in the apartment, making a beeline for the living room instead.

Thanks to her superhearing, she hears Cat mutter, "make yourself at home," sarcastically behind her, and has to bite back a laugh again. Perhaps the best thing about trying to get Cat to break up with her is that, when she forgoes manners, it actually works in her favour.

Besides, Kara has to work to do, which means she doesn't have time to wait around for Cat.

Once she's in the living room, she opens the bag she's brought, doing her own version of Winn leaving his collectables at his ex's place. Of course, it won't make much sense for Kara to leave action figures dotted around, so she's brought something different.

See, if there had been one thing Kara remembered about Cat's apartment from the brief time she had been in here on the night they met, it was how sleek and stylish the living room had been.

Perfectly monochrome. Classy.

Kara thinks it's time for a change.

From her bag, she pulls the first of her new additions: some pink, frilly cushions to put on the black, leather couch. She places them in position, admiring how ridiculous they look as she does. It's like Cat has let a child choose her cushions.

Next, she pulls out a blanket. It's white, with little pink roses, and it gives off that old-fashioned feel that  _screams_  old lady. Kara grins mischievously while she drapes it over the back of the sofa.

On the coffee table, she places a pink tissue box and a framed picture of a couple of kittens sitting in a plant pot. Just their heads are visible above the rim, which Kara had found  _adorable_ , but she knew Cat would hate it, hence Kara had bought it.

Kara also places a pile of magazines on the coffee table. They're all gossipy trash that Cat probably wouldn't be caught dead reading (it feels a little self-deprecating that Kara has thrown Composure into the mix), though CatCo is notably absent. Kara had meant that to be insulting, but it might actually be a compliment now that she thinks about the crap that she  _has_  bought.

Finally, Kara dots some stuffed animals around the room. A bear here, a lion there; it looks like Cat has tried to create her own stuffed-animal zoo.

Kara stands back to admire her handiwork, considering whether or not she should take a picture to send to Alex and Winn. But before she can, she hears Cat approaching the room. "Sorry about that. I had to check on din-"

The CEO stops mid-sentence, staring at the blanket that has been hung on the back of her couch. Her mouth remains slightly open as her eyes shift to each of the other items that Kara has added to her living room, lingering for a particularly long time on the stuffed unicorn that now sits on her bookshelf.

Kara knows what the older woman is thinking. Her chic and sophisticated living room... now it looks like Cat hired a six-year-old as her interior designer.

Cat walks over to her coffee table and picks up the picture frame containing the picture of two kittens. "Aren't they cute?" Kara asks, putting her hands behind her back and twisting from side to side. "They're kitty cats. Do you get it? Kitty cats. Like you, Kitty Cat."

Upon hearing the nickname, Cat shoots daggers at Kara before she can stop herself. But then she seems to remember that she's on a date and should be polite, so she forces a smile and turns around to put the frame back on the coffee table.

"What..." Cat starts, then pauses to scratch behind her ear. She looks as Kara. "What  _is_  all this?"

"I went shopping!" Kara spreads her arms in a ta-da motion, a beaming smile on her face. "When I came up here to use your bathroom the other night, I realised that this place was so  _dull_ , so I wanted to get some things to... brighten it up."

Cat is staring at Kara with a pained smile on her face. "Well, you succeeded." She walks over to a shelf and picks up a stuffed giraffe, mumbling under her breath, "horribly."

Kara obviously hadn't been supposed to hear it, but she does, thanks to her superhearing, and snorts before she can stop herself. She masterfully covers it up with a cough, and thanks Rao that Cat doesn't notice.

The CEO puts the giraffe back on the shelf and turns to Kara, who prepares herself for what she expects is coming. Cat looks angry. She looks like she could be sick just from the sight of the items Kara has bought. She looks like she wants to throw all of this stuff out of a window, then Kara along with it.

She looks like she's going to tell Kara to get the hell out of her apartment.

And Kara can't wait.

Cat takes a deep breath and walks slowly towards Kara. "If you wanted to brighten up my apartment, you didn't have to buy all this," she waves her hand at the room. "All you had to do was come over and use that little superpower of yours."

Even though Kara's lips keep smiling, her eyes certainly don't. "What?"

"Don't play coy," Cat says with a knowing smile that makes Kara uncomfortable. "I know all about that superpower of yours."

This is bad. This is very bad. Is Cat saying Kara could have used her heat vision to brighten up the place?  _This_  is how she's telling Kara she knows she's Supergirl? "I don't- pfft- I don't have a- a superpower." Kara adjusts her glasses.

"Now you're just blatantly lying to me," Cat tuts, coming to a stop right in front of the younger woman. She looks up at Kara. "There's no way that that smile of yours isn't superhuman."

Kara opens her mouth, about to launch into a speech about how she  _absolutely is not_  Supergirl, but then... what? "My smile?"

Cat lifts her hand to stroke Kara's cheek, her thumb grazing gently over the corner of the younger woman's lips. "The way it can light up a room. Hell, it'd probably be able to light up this whole  _city._ That's not human. _"_

Kara frowns, certain she's misunderstanding. "Wait, you're... you're complimenting my smile?"

Cat's thumb runs along her bottom lip now. "Don't sound so surprised. I haven't kept it a secret how beautiful I think you are thus far, I'm not going to start now."

Kara opens her mouth, then closes it again. While it's a relief that Cat doesn't know who she is, Kara is still incredibly confused. She's just placed girly, childish crap all around Cat's sophisticated living room, and all Cat has to say about it is that Kara's  _smile_  could have brightened the place up just fine? Why hasn't she freaked out? Maybe Kara completely misjudged the kind of person that Cat really is...

Cat is still caressing Kara's cheek, but she stops to push a few strands of hair that have fallen from Kara's ponytail behind her ear. "You know, this is our second date," Cat says conversationally.

"Yes...?"

"You never mentioned any qualms about kissing me tonight."

Cat's eyes flicker down to Kara's lips as her hand snakes around her neck, and then she tries to tug Kara down to a level where she'd be able to press their lips together.

But  _no_! Kara came here to get broken up with, not to kiss Cat Grant!

Kara pulls away from Cat's grip with a shake of her head. "No." She backs away until she feels the back of the couch behind her.

Cat drops the hand that had been on Kara's neck so that it hits her own thigh with a smack. She looks impatient. "I'm sorry...  _no_?"

"I don't want to... I mean..." Kara adjusts her glasses, trying to think of something to say. "I don't like rushing things, and I just want to make sure that..."

Cat's face softens and she approaches Kara, then she leans on the couch next to her with a sigh. "I understand. Physical affection is special to you, and you don't like giving it away freely. That's perfectly acceptable. Commendable, even."

"Really?"

"Really." Cat looks at Kara with a self-deprecating smile. "You have more willpower than I do." Kara looks down with a small smile on her lips. She hasn't really lied. She supposes she  _does_  think of physical affection as something special, hence she doesn't want to kiss Cat just for an article. She doesn't want to kiss Cat when she should be making the woman break up with her. Not only would it demean displays of affection, but it would also be counter-intuitive.

After a few moments, Cat stands again. "Dinner should be ready soon. How about a glass of wine?"

* * *

With Kara seated in the dining room, Cat gives herself a moment in the kitchen to breathe.

She really knows how to pick 'em. This is only the second date, and Kara has already dragged her to a basketball game, called her more times than her own mother has in the past  _year_ , re-accessorised her living room, called her 'Kitty Cat' and refused to kiss her... twice.

Cat can't recall being rejected this many times by someone since Idris Elba.

And what even  _are_  those accessories that Kara has littered her living room with? Those vile, sickeningly saccharine, repulsive, frilly, hellish  _things_  bought to 'brighten up' her living room?

Cat had wanted to burn them all right there on the spot. That certainly would have 'brightened up' the place. Instead, she had counted to ten in her head and reminded herself of her end goal: strolling into her mother's wedding with Kara on her arm, watching Katherine's face drop as she realises that she was wrong, her daughter really is lovable after all.

8 more days. 7 by the end of this date. Cat can do this.

After psyching herself up, Cat picks up the serving dish and makes her way into the dining room.

She hasn't actually cooked dinner - she had paid someone else to do it for her - but she has taken it out of the oven like a pro. Kara will never know.

When Cat enters the dining room, Kara is standing with her back to her, looking at a picture on the wall, but she glances over her shoulder as Cat puts the dish on the centre of the table.

"Is this your son?" she asks, indicating to a picture of Cat and Carter standing in front of the Sydney Opera House.

Cat smiles fondly at the sight of it. Carter doesn't like having his picture taken, so he isn't looking at the camera, but something to the left of it. His smile is wide and genuine, though, and he's leaning into Cat's side in a way that he would never do with anyone else. Even though the picture is only from a couple of years ago, Carter has grown so much since then that it makes Cat nostalgic for the days when she was a good foot taller than her 'little' boy. Now she only has an inch or two on him.

"Yes."

"You said his name is Carter?"

Cat shifts her gaze from the picture to Kara, surprised that the younger woman remembers. Yes, she had only told her Carter's name the day before, but they had only spoken about him briefly, for a few seconds at most. Cat is used to having to repeat herself. Perhaps she's finally found someone who actually  _listens_.

"Yes. Carter," Cat confirms with a fond smile, then her eyes flicker back to the table. "Shall we sit? We don't want the food to get cold."

She pulls Kara's chair out for her, like the chivalrous gentlewoman that she is (until Kara falls in love with her, at least), then takes a seat opposite her. She spreads a napkin over her lap, then reaches out so that she can serve the food.

"We're having lamb with cherry glaze tonight. It's delicious, you'll love it," Cat states, glancing up to see Kara's reaction, which is...

Kara covers her face with her hands, shoulders beginning to shake.

Cat stares for a moment, hand still on the serving spoon, trying to decide whether the younger woman is laughing or crying. Cat gets the horrible feeling that it's the latter.

"Kara?" she says gently. "Are you OK?"

Kara sucks in a choked breath. Definitely crying. But maybe they're happy tears? Maybe she's just so thrilled that Cat has cooked a wonderful meal for her that she's having a hard time containing her emotions.

Cat can only entertain herself with that thought for a second though, because then Kara shakes her head. Sad tears, then.

Cat brings her hands back to her lap, wipes them on her napkin, then reaches out to stroke Kara's forearm tenderly. It's awkward because the younger woman is still covering her face, but Cat tries to be comforting. "It's OK," she soothes. "Everything's OK."

Kara shakes her head again. "I can't eat this." She sobs. "Lambs are so beautiful, how could you...?"

Cat closes her eyes, counting to ten and  _praying_  that she is wrong about this. "Kara. Are you a vegetarian?"

Kara nods her head.

Cat has to physically bite her tongue to stop herself from yelling something stupid like ' _are you freaking kidding me?'_ Kara couldn't have thought to mention this  _before_  Cat 'cooked' dinner for the two of them? She hadn't thought that it might be a vital piece of information to divulge?

Cat grits her teeth, takes a deep breath, pictures the end goal. Proving her mother wrong. Proving she's lovable.

"It's OK." Cat forces out the words. "Don't worry. I can... I can throw this out and we'll go someplace else to eat. A nice restaurant. How does that sound?"

When Kara lowers her hands, her face is remarkably dry and her smile surprisingly wide for someone who had been crying seconds ago. "Thank you so much, Kitty Cat."

* * *

Cat should have picked the restaurant.  _All_  restaurants nowadays have vegetarian options. She could have picked  _anywhere_  and known that there would have been an option for Kara on the menu.

But no, she had been an idiot. She had told Kara to pick where they went, and now she's sitting in a place that's called, honest to God, ' _Happy Vegannings_ '.

A vegan restaurant with the worst pun Cat has ever heard as its name.

Cat wishes she could just stand and leave, but instead she sits and pokes at her Italian vegetable stew with her fork, trying her hardest not to glare at Kara and her 'faux meat feast' pizza across the table.

"So," Kara begins conversationally, after a silence that had stretched on and on, thanks to Cat's brooding. "Why don't you tell me about Carter?"

Just thinking of her son makes Cat perk up, and she starts smiling down at her stew. "Carter is... special. He's exceptionally smart, and kind, and loving. His favourite subject in school is science. Honestly, he can't get enough of it. He asks me to buy him science textbooks and reads them for leisure, which is... I don't know where he gets that from. He's thirteen and already knows much more than I do. He talks about all of these things that he's passionate about and it just," Cat makes the gesture that it goes completely over her head, then her smile falters slightly. "But he has a little trouble with socialising. He's incredibly shy, and he can get overwhelmed sometimes if a place gets too loud or too crowded. It makes it difficult for him to make friends."

When Cat looks up, Kara is looking at her with soft eyes. "I can understand that," she says sympathetically. "I used to get sensory overload a lot when I was a kid."

"You did?"

Kara nods. "And you know what kids are like. They get uncomfortable around anyone who's different to them, and they don't know how to deal with that, so they turn mean."

Cat knows that Carter has been bullied at his previous schools. The one that he attends now isn't so bad, but it has been bad enough in the past that he's had to transfer. Cat knows how upset Carter had been when he'd been going through the bullying, how depressed and not at all like himself it had made him. She has a hard time picturing the bubbly and cheerful girl in front of her that way.

"You were bullied?"

"A little. At the beginning." Kara shrugs. "But then my sister started kicking the asses of anyone who so much as  _looked_  at me funny, and it died down pretty quickly after that."

Cat smiles and takes a sip of her wine. She doesn't think it would be a good idea for Adam to come down and start beating up children, not that she would condone violence as a solution, anyway.

"And how did you overcome the sensory overload?"

"Relaxation techniques. There are these exercises you can do when you feel everything becoming too much that can help calm you down. You should look into them for Carter."

Cat hums her agreement, making a mental note to do just that.

"And, you know, if Carter ever needs someone to nerd-out over science with, he could always call my sister. She's a bio-engineer, and she's  _always_  talking about science with me. But just like you," Kara makes the same gesture to show it completely goes over her head.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Good."

Kara can hardly keep herself from smiling when turns back to her pizza, which makes Cat curious. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"No reason."

"You're a terrible liar."

Kara glances at her, then sighs, but she's still smiling. "I just... You said that if I wanted to brighten up your living room, then all I had to do was smile. Well, it turns out, I'm not even needed at all."

"What do you mean?"

"When you think about your son, your eyes shine brighter than most of the stars in the sky." Cat has never been told that before, and she finds herself smiling so widely that it's almost embarrassing. "It's a good look on you," Kara adds as an afterthought, turning back to her pizza.

Cat doesn't bother to think about how much of a good mood that compliment puts her in.

She's also not thinking about the fact that she's in a vegan restaurant called  _Happy Vegannings_ , though.

* * *

Kara had really dropped the ball there.

_Carter can always call my sister if he wants someone to nerd-out over science with. Your eyes shine so bright. It's a really good look on you._

God, that is  _so not_  the way to get someone to break up with you.

But Kara just hadn't been able to help herself. Cat had looked so happy when she was talking about her son, getting a glint in her eyes that told Kara just how much she loves him. It had melted Kara's heart to see. Plus, Kara had been able to empathise with the way that Carter feels. She knows a thing or two about being overwhelmed by sensory information.

So, yes, Kara may have messed up and not exactly done herself any favours when it comes to her How To Lose A Partner In 10 Days article.

This is proved at the end of the night, when Cat says she'll call her.

Kara tries to salvage it as best as she can, though.

Cat respectfully doesn't attempt to kiss her again, but she looks at Kara expectantly and waits, clearly hoping that Kara will initiate their first kiss. Kara, acting oblivious, simply smiles and says, "night, night, Kitty Cat," before skipping into her apartment building.

Kara is confident that Cat will soon decide she's not worth it and call it a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for reading :)  
> I had to include a Kara and Alex scene at the beginning since I love them, but I think I'm going to try to cut down the length of my chapters in future since they get pretty lengthy :/  
> Constructive criticism is appreciated, since it tells me what I can do to improve and make this more enjoyable for you readers.  
> Also, I have decided that Taylor Swift's song '...Ready For It?' is the official soundtrack for this story since it just... fits. So, speak now (*wink* *wink* Taylor fans) or forever hold your peace ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Is anyone going to be interested in reading this story? Please let me know, I'm not asking for hundreds of comments or anything, just want to make sure that I'm not writing a story that literally no one is interested in :)


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